It's How You Play the Game
by CharliDenae
Summary: The new boy at school delights in tormenting Alice. She hates his guts but she tries to play the 'High School Game'. Little does she know, the rules of the game have changed. A little angst, a little humor, a lot of hormones. Rated M for language and sex.


**Title**: _It's How You Play the Game_

**Author Penname**: _CharliDenae_

**Rating**: MA/NC-17 _for language and sexual situations_

**Summary**: _The new boy at school delights in tormenting Alice. She hates his guts but, with her hard-earned social status on the line, she tries to play the 'High School Game'. Little does she know, the rules of the game have changed. A little angst, a little humor, a lot of hormones. AH._

**Warnings**: _Contains adult content. Is not suitable for persons under 17._

**Banner Designed by** _IllicitWriter_

**_Written for Fandom4Texas _**

~play the game~

Alice looked around the familiar old building with a sigh of contentment. She loved the old place and was happy to be back after a long, lonely summer. Gilded Oaks Academy was more of a home to her than her own house and she would miss it next year.

With a happy smile on her face, Alice danced down the corridor, running her fingertips along the aged, mellow brick at her side. Upon reaching the solid wood door that protected the dorm from the outside world, Alice hit it with both hands and gave it a strong shove. Expecting to sail right through, Alice was surprised when it banged back against her and knocked her on her butt.

"Ow!" she yelped and stood up to rub her aching backside. She approached the door once more and heard a loud voice from the other side. Muffled though it was through the ancient oak, Alice could still tell that the person was extremely angry.

Pushing carefully on the heavy door, Alice cautiously slipped through the small opening she'd made.

"What the fuck?" a tall boy with dark blond hair yelled at her, his green glare pinning her in place. He had his hand over his nose so that she could only see a small portion of his face and his shaggy hair flopped over his forehead and into his eyes. "I think you broke my fucking nose!"

Alice gaped at him, not knowing what to say. She'd rarely heard such language, especially on the school grounds. Obviously, he was new, which explained why he hadn't known about staying clear of the doors.

"I'm so sorry. I... didn't know anyone was on the other s-side." she apologized, her cheeks burning with mortification. She dropped to her knees and began picking up the papers that were strewn all over the ground.

"Well, duh!" the boy continued to yell at her. "Maybe next time you shouldn't shove the fucking door so goddamn hard. Jesus!"

Alice stood up pushing her long, dark hair off her face with one hand and holding his papers in her other. She gasped when she saw blood seeping between his fingers.

"Oh no! Can I get you a tissue?" she cried, rushing toward him.

"No! I don't want a fucking tissue! I want you to watch where the hell you're going!" he backed away from her. "What're you? The fucking Hulk, or some shit?"

Shaking his head, one hand still covering his nose, he gave her a last look of contempt, grabbed his papers from her hands and stalked away, muttering under his breath.

"Fucking big ass door... fucking papers all over... stupid fucking little Hulk girl... goddamn fucking bloody nose... fucker hurts... hate this mother fuckin' place... "

Alice watched him walk away, her mouth open in shock and then let her eyes sweep across the grounds around her. No one seemed to have noticed the little scene and Alice gave a sigh of relief before continuing on her way.

She'd spent too much time fighting to be accepted and she'd be darned if some foul-mouthed neanderthal was going to mess up her hard-earned social status. Sure, she wasn't popular like the cheerleaders or the football players but she'd made her mark as the President of the Upperclass Social Committee and she was very proud of her achievement. She organized all of the school social events for the high school students and she was really, really good at it. The other Upperclassmen all knew her now and were always asking her what she had planned. One little snag, like a failed party or a scene like what happened today and they would all remember what a loser she'd once been.

Flitting cheerfully along the sun-drenched sidewalk, Alice thought about when she'd first been elected president. The girl who'd held the position before Alice had graduated two years ago but before she'd left, she'd suggested that the other students vote Alice in. Alice had helped plan most of the parties that year and the girl knew that she could handle the task. Thus, Alice had officially become part of the student body, instead of just another body that was a student. She was going into her third, and final year as Committee President and she couldn't be looking forward to it more.

Humming to herself, Alice entered the Community Center in the middle of the main square. It was still relatively early but the hall was busier than she expected. As she approached a group of her friendlier acquaintances, she heard a raised voice and laughter. There, right in the middle of some of the most popular kids, was none other than the foul-mouthed neanderthal, himself.

Alice's step faltered but then she squared her shoulders and continued to move forward. She'd been going to Gilded Oaks Academy since she was eleven years old, she wasn't letting some new boy intimidate her.

"Hi, guys. How was everyone's summer?" Alice asked happily, as she reached the group. A few heads swiveled her way and she heard a few titters of laughter. Her eyes clashed with the blond boy and, before she could think of something clever to say, his mocking tone bit into her.

"Well, here's the fuckin' little Hulk girl now." he drawled, his face drawn up in a sneer. "You always go around shoving doors into people's faces? What're you trying to prove? That you're all strong and shit? Don't you know guys don't like chicks who're all fuckin' butch?" his sneer turned into a mocking smile. "Wait a minute. Maybe you don't care what the guys think? Maybe you're only into girls?"

Alice heard a spattering of laughter and a blush covered her face but she tried to play it off.

"I really am sorry. Everyone knows that those doors weigh a ton. You have to give them a really good shove to get them open." she explained, hoping that he would stop being such an ass. "I'm sorry I hurt you. Is your nose okay?"

Now it was his turn to blush and his eyes burned into hers. "No, my God damn nose isn't okay!" he spat, taking a step toward her. Leaning over her, he glared into her eyes. "It fucking hurts and there's blood all over my shirt! I don't think you had to shove the damn thing that frickin' hard. I'll probably have a black eye, for Christ's sake!"

Alice fought off the urge to roll her eyes. She figured he was playing it up to save himself the humiliation of being hurt by a girl but he was acting like such a big baby that she was surprised the other guys weren't making fun of him.

"I really am sorry. How about I get you a cold compress? That should help so you don't get a black eye." Alice gave him a sympathetic smile and was startled when a deep voice agreed with her.

"Yeah, Jas, let Ali get you a cold compress. That's gonna' be one helluva' shiner if you don't."

Alice turned to smile at Emmett McCarty. He was one of the most popular guys in the school so she was extremely grateful that he'd backed her up.

"Okay, I'll be right back." she told him. "Just sit down and try to relax so the bleeding will stop."

Alice walked as fast as her small legs would carry her to the Center's kitchen. She got a compress out of the freezer and wrapped it in a clean hand towel. Carrying it back to the new boy, she thought better of trying to put it on his nose herself and just handed it to him.

"Here you go, Jas. I hope it helps."

He grabbed it from her and placed it carefully on his nose. "I didn't say you could call me, Jas." he snapped at her. "My name is, Jasper. Don't go thinking we're friends just because you're trying to make up for messing up my face."

This time, Alice did roll her eyes. _Geeze! He was such a baby. His nose wasn't even bleeding any more, for crying out loud. _

"Jas, don't be sore at Ali." Emmett told him. "She's right. Those damn doors weigh a ton and everyone around here knows to stay back from them. The girls really have to shove them hard to get them open, especially the little girls like Ali."

"It's true, Jas." Emmett's gorgeous girlfriend, Rosalie, added. "Wait until you try to open one. You'll be surprised at how heavy they are."

"Fine," Jasper grumbled as he eyed the petite girl in front of him. "But I'm keeping away from her. She's dangerous. She'll probably knock me in front of a speeding bus next."

Emmett laughed and Alice saw Jasper's lips twitch. She watched his eyes twinkle as he looked at Emmett and some of the other kids laughing and she thought that maybe he wasn't so bad after all. Maybe he'd just been embarrassed and didn't want the other kids to make fun of him. She knew what it was like not to belong.

~play the game~

"Fuck me!"

Alice jumped at the loud curse. Her eyes flew up to meet the glittering green ones staring down at her through a fringe of dark blond hair.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" the boy ground out, his hateful glare causing her to shrink away from him. "Now you're in all of my classes, too? I'm killing my dad. That's it... fucking killing him... fuckin' hate this place... God-damned boarding school... fuck."

Muttering to himself, his head shaking, Jasper walked away to find a seat far away from Alice. Looking around sheepishly, Alice saw that no one was paying attention to her and she settled into her chair. She wondered what his problem was now. If he didn't stop yelling every time he saw her, people were going to start talking.

By the end of the day, her head was aching so bad, Alice thought she'd die if she didn't get something for it soon. Making her way back to her dorm, she tried to keep up a cheerful appearance but the thought of having five different classes with Jasper, _and_ lunch, every single day, was enough to cause her severe physical pain.

During the course of the day, she'd learned way more about Jasper Whitlock than she'd ever wanted to know. She knew he was from Texas and that he was friends with a few of the students already. His dad was some big-shot and they owned a vacation house on an island off the east coast. A lot of the other kids' big-shot fathers apparently owned houses there, too. He summered with several of these kids, Emmett included and his dad had decided suddenly, that Jasper should go to school with them, as well. Obviously, Jasper wasn't too happy about it and had raised a big stink. He'd attended some fancy, private school in his home town in Texas and he liked to party and throw his weight around.

_ "Just another spoiled, snobby, rich kid," _Alice thought as she continued toward her dorm. "_Like we don't have enough of those already."_

Alice's family was well-off, too, but her parents travelled on and off all summer while she stayed home by herself. They owned a large, sprawling mansion, north of Chicago and, though she always had some staff at home with her, she really didn't know any of them very well and pretty much stayed to herself. She wasn't allowed to go anywhere without an escort, which was her father's word for a bodyguard, so she usually just stayed in. She filled her days with swimming and reading but it was a lonely time and she was happy to be back at school where she at least had people to talk to and things to do. Now, with Jasper Whitlock tormenting her at every turn, she was afraid even school wouldn't offer her any comfort.

Pulling on the heavy door that was the start of her massive headache, Alice entered the cool, dark building and made her way to her room. She shared it with another girl but, luckily, no one else was around yet, so she took some pain killers and lay on her bed.

Forty-five minutes later, Alice was roused from her nap by her roommate and another of her friends.

"Hey, Ali! Sorry to wake you. How was your summer?" Bella called as she entered the room. She plopped down on her bed and kicked off her shoes.

The second girl, Angela, came over to sit on the edge of Alice's bed and waited expectantly.

"Same old, same old." Alice answered, sitting up with a yawn. "How about you?"

"Mine was actually really nice." Bella told her happily. "My parents took us to Hawaii and we had the best time."

"Wow! That sounds great. I'd love to go to Hawaii" Alice said a little enviously. "How about you, Ang?"

"Well, mine wasn't as exciting as Bella's but I did meet a really cute guy." Angela grinned.

"Oh my God!" Bella exclaimed, coming over to join the other two girls on Alice's bed. "I want deets!"

Alice giggled and scooted across her bed. "Me, too! Tell us everything."

The three girls caught up and, before they knew it, it was time to go to dinner. They freshened up and left for the dining room, chatting happily. When they got to the dining hall, Angela and Bella got in line to get their food and Alice went to save them a table. As she made her way between the tables of excited students, Alice stumbled when someone bumped into her hard.

"Holy fuck! Not you again." Jasper Whitlock exclaimed as he swept the hair from his eyes and glared down at her. "Jesus Christ! I'm never gonna' fuckin' get away from you, am I?"

Alice just stood there looking up at him, dumbfounded. She couldn't believe that he was still making such a big deal about her. Her large, startled eyes stared into his angry face and he glared at her as though he was waiting for her to answer him.

"What? Are you fucking stupid, besides being hazardous?" he snarled at her, finally breaking her out of her trance.

Putting her hands on her hips, Alice glared right back up at him. "You think I'm scared of you because you're so much bigger than I am? Well, you know what? I'm not. You're the rudest, most irritating boy I've ever met. If anything, it's your fault you got hit by the door this morning. You shouldn't have been so close to it. Anyone knows that you don't walk right on the other side of a door, even if it's not a huge, solid oak one." Alice saw a flicker of surprise in his eyes and she continued her rant. "As for our classes, I didn't make our schedules. If you don't like yours, go and get it changed. I don't care to see you all day long, either."

They stood glaring at each other when Alice felt Bella and Angela walk up behind her.

"Uh... Ali? You okay?" Angela asked, watching Jasper cautiously. Alice turned to look at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Jasper here, just bumped into me and decided to blame it on me." Alice glared at him once more.

"I.. I... _I_ bumped into _you_?" Jasper sputtered angrily. "Ha! You're the one who's a fucking menace, not me."

His eyes roamed over Bella and Angela, his lips curling into a sneer. "Are these two your lesbian lovers? Do they Hulk-out and break people's noses with the God damned doors, too?"

Alice gritted her teeth as she heard Bella and Angela draw in sharp breaths. No one else at Gilded Oaks Academy talked the way Jasper Whitlock did and the other girls were as shocked as she had first been.

"No, Jasper, although if I was, in fact, a lesbian, I would be proud to call either of these girls my lover. As it turns out, we are just three, average girls trying to eat our dinner." Alice attempted to look down her nose at him. "Now, if you'll excuse us?"

She pushed past him and the other two girls followed. As soon as they sat down, both girls confronted Alice.

"Oh my God, Ali. Who was that?" Bella asked, her eyes wide.

"Why did he call us lesbians?" Angela wanted to know. "How do you even know him?"

As they ate, Alice told them what had happened this morning and throughout the day. They murmured in sympathy but Alice noticed how their eyes kept returning again and again to the gorgeous, arrogant boy across the room.

Alice gritted her teeth. She'd been so happy this morning. How could one dumb boy ruin her whole day? She looked over to see Jasper looking toward their table and groaned. Now he'd think that she was talking about him. Could this day get any worse? She didn't think she'd ever hated anyone as much as she hated him. She finished eating and stood up to go back to their room.

"Ali, where're you going?" Angela asked, both girls looking at her with curious eyes. "Aren't you going to stay for the Welcome Back meeting?"

Alice shook her head. "I don't think so. My head is throbbing and it's not like I've never heard it before."

As they nodded in agreement, Alice went on. "I'm just going to go to our room and lay down. I'll talk to you when you get back."

"Okay." Bella told her, looking at her with concern. It wasn't like Alice to miss any meetings, especially the first day. "See you later, then."

Alice walked over to the bin where they put their dirty dinner trays, when she felt someone lightly jostle her arm. Feeling dread wash over her, she looked up into the now familiar, smirking face.

"Can't get enough of me, huh, Butch?" he taunted her, setting his tray down after her. As she turned to leave, he grabbed her arm. "Hey! I'm fucking talking to you. Don't ignore me, you little snot."

Alice yanked her arm out of his grasp and turned to face him. She opened her mouth to yell back at him but suddenly, everything caught up with her and weariness overwhelmed her. Her shoulders slumped and all the fight seemed to go right out of her. When she raised her eyes to his, he saw the slight sheen of tears in their dark, blue depths.

"Please, just leave me alone." she pleaded, her voice low and breathy. "I've had enough for today."

He stared down at her, his face blank, before she turned and walked away.

~play the game~

The next few weeks were hell for Alice. Even though Jasper wasn't down right mean like he'd been the first day, he never seemed to tire of making some kind of remark or bugging her in some way. Alice tried to avoid him as much as possible by walking slow or fast, depending on his pace or taking alternate routes so that she wouldn't run into him. Since they shared most of their classes, it was difficult at best but, with a lot of effort, she eventually managed pretty well.

As the students settled into their routines, a lot of them began questioning Alice about upcoming social events. She'd been so preoccupied trying to stay away from Jasper, that she'd not even given much thought to planning anything. Luckily, the first big weekend's events were organized by the school staff so she still had plenty of time. Vowing not to let anyone down, though, she decided she better get some notes together right away. They weren't allowed parties every weekend but there were movie nights and other social events to organize, too.

The first event consisted of a formal dance to welcome the students back and to kick off a brand new year. After a month of straightening out schedules, finding classes and getting back into the swing of things, everyone looked forward to it. Not only did it give them a break, it gave them all a chance to get reacquainted and to check out the members of the opposite sex.

Alice looked around as she entered the Community Center. The staff had decorated it for the dance tonight and everything seemed ready to go. Classes had let out a little early today and she'd decided to stop by and ask Ms. Jenkins if there was anything she could help her with. She could tell that the Community Director had things in hand but decided to stop by anyway.

As she rounded the corner toward Ms. Jenkins' office, Alice heard a familiar voice and her heart sank. Deciding to try and sneak out undetected, Alice turned just as the woman spotted her.

"Alice!" she called, her face lit up. "Come in! How was your summer, dear?"

Alice smiled and kept her eyes averted from the hateful boy sitting across from Ms. Jenkins' desk.

"Hi, Ms. Jenkins. It was nothing special. How about yours?"

"Delightful, my dear, just delightful. I am glad to be back, though." she sighed wistfully. "I sure miss you kids when we're all gone."

Alice continued to smile woodenly and pretend that Jasper wasn't there.

"What can I do for you, Alice?" Ms. Jenkins continued kindly.

"I just thought I'd stop by and see if you needed any help getting ready for the dance." Alice said, her eyes fighting to remain on Ms. Jenkins.

"You're such a doll but, believe it, or not, we've got everything done. I do appreciate the offer, though, dear." Ms. Jenkins smiled affectionately at Alice, then her face showed her surprise as she remembered the boy she'd left sitting in front of her desk.

"Oh! Alice, dear, do you know, Jasper Whitlock?" Ms. Jenkins asked, her face wreathed in smiles. Her expression went sympathetic then. "I believe he's having a little bit of a hard time getting adjusted. Would you be a dear and help him out?"

Alice's eyes flew to Jasper to see him smirking at her, waiting for her answer.

"I... I... well... I'm really busy... what with planning... and... and... classes... " Alice stammered, grasping for anything to get her out of being anywhere near Jasper Whitlock.

"Oh, Alice, I know you're busy, honey, but he just needs to be introduced around a little, that's all. You could help him out tonight at the dance, couldn't you?" her eager eyes encouraged Alice to do the right thing and Alice knew that she had no choice.

"Of course, Ms. Jenkins, I'd love to." she surrendered, realizing that there was no escape from her tormentor. With a slump of her shoulders, Alice gave Jasper a stiff smile. "I guess I'll see you there, Jasper." she told him, hating the smugness in his expression and the anticipation in his eyes.

"I look forward to it." he told her, smoothly, his eyes glittering devilishly.

Why he insisted on tormenting her, she had no clue but she began to think that things would get much worse before they got better.

~play the game~

Jasper smirked at the small girl standing ramrod straight in front of him. He could see the dread in her big blue eyes and, for some reason, he felt pleasure rip through him. He didn't really know why teasing this particular girl was so much fun. He just knew he enjoyed it immensely.

Jasper had been royally pissed at his dad that first day and, when she'd smacked him in the face with the door, he'd taken all of his anger out on her. After he'd cooled down, he'd felt guilty but then he'd bumped into her in the cafeteria that night and he'd found that he actually liked messing with her. Of course, he'd decided to back off a little when he'd seen her tears but he couldn't seem to stop completely.

Not pausing to analyze his feelings any further, Jasper decided that maybe he'd like this school after all. He did have friends here already and, though he didn't have a reputation like he did back home, he'd soon prove himself at the parties and on the football field. He actually looked forward to his classes, too, especially the ones where he could _accidentally_ sit near Alice and tease her or play with her hair. Suddenly, the year didn't look so bad.

He watched Alice twist her fingers together and then finally, turn to face him. He noted the stiffness of her lips and the slight fear in her eyes. He felt a jolt all the way to his toes and a niggling voice in his head wondered why he liked that she was scared of him. He'd never been a bully before. In fact, in his old school, most of the kids had idolized him and he'd been friendly to them all.

When Alice told him she'd catch up with him tonight, Jasper knew that the pleasure of seeing her squirm had been evident on his face and she'd practically run from the place. Turning his attention back to Ms. Jenkins, he smiled charmingly and thanked her for finding someone to introduce him around. He also mentioned that he hoped Alice didn't forget, to which Ms. Jenkins assured him that she would personally remind her. Grinning in anticipation, Jasper left the office, a bounce in his step.

"Bella! Not so much!" Alice called as Bella and Angela fixed her hair and make-up for the dance that night.

"Oh, Alice, stop whining." Angela chastised her as she continued to take the rollers from Alice's hair. "We're all going to look hot this year and snag us some boyfriends, if it's the last thing we do."

Once the rollers were out of her hair, Bella swept a little coral gloss on Alice's lips and Angela ran her fingers loosely through her curls.

"There!" Angela exclaimed, looking at the three of them in the mirror. "Gorgeous!"

Alice had to admit that all three of them did look pretty good, even though Bella and Angela were both taller than Alice with long, lean frames. Alice wished for the millionth time that she wasn't so short. Her small size had been nice when she was little, everyone had thought she was cute but now that they were older, cute didn't get it any more.

Her eyes roamed over her face and hair. The long, spirally curls made her neck look longer and the soft peach color of her dress brought out the creaminess of her skin. Her dark blue eyes looked bright as sapphires with the touches of makeup Bella had used and she supposed, all in all, she looked just as pretty as any of the other girls in the school.

"Well, let's go." Alice said, with a sigh of determination. "The sooner we get this over with, the better."

Bella chuckled. "Oh, come on, Alice, it's not that bad."

"Yeah," Angela added enthusiastically. "come on, Ali. We'll have fun."

"It's easy for both of you to say that, you don't have to put up with Assper."

When both girls burst out laughing, Alice couldn't help the grin that covered her face. Soon, the three of them were giggling as they made their way out the door.

"If he gives you a hard time, Ali, just call him that." Angela told her, putting her arm around her. "His reaction to, 'Assper', will definitely raise your spirits."

By the time they arrived at the Center, Alice was significantly cheered up and figured she could take anything that Jasper handed out. They walked through the doors and into the dimly lit Community room. The party was in full swing with music playing and people laughing and talking, and Alice and her friends made their way over to a group of girls they knew.

As they caught up with the other girls, Alice felt a slight tap on her arm. Her stomach dropped, but when she turned, it was only Ms. Jenkins smiling at her.

"Hi, Ms. Jenkins. Everything looks so nice."

"Thank you, Alice. I'm glad you think so." Ms. Jenkins said, glancing around at her efforts. Looking back at Alice once more, she went on. "I just wanted to remind you to introduce Mr. Whitlock around tonight."

Seeing Alice's face fall, she continued. "It's okay if you forgot, dear, I know you have a lot on your mind. I just thought I'd remind you. Come on, I can take you to him."

Alice smiled her thanks and, nodding to her friends, let Ms. Jenkins lead her away. As they approached Jasper, Alice saw his eyes wander slowly over her. Nausea coursed through her and she swallowed in an attempt to pat it down.

Faking a smile for Ms. Jenkins' benefit, Alice let her propel her toward the smug boy waiting with amusement on his face.

"Jasper, you remember, Alice, don't you? She's going to introduce you to some of our other students." Ms. Jenkins enthused. "You two have a good time. I'm sure you'll make friends in no time, Jasper."

With that, she left the two teenagers facing each other and went to fuss over the refreshments.

Alice stood stiffly in front of her nemesis, waiting for him to toss the first barb. When he remained silent, Alice raised curious eyes to his, wondering what he was up to now.

Jasper's eyes glittered down at her and his lips were turned up into his familiar cocky grin. She would've thought his grin adorable if he weren't so mean, but she just waited for him to begin where he'd left off earlier in the day.

"You look really pretty, Alice." he said in a soft voice. A husky chuckle sounded in his chest as her eyes widened in disbelief, but then they narrowed.

"You don't believe me?" he asked, mocking hurt feelings by putting his hand over his heart. "I'm wounded."

Alice crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you want, Jasper? I know you already have friends here. Why let Ms. Jenkins believe you need to be introduced around?"

Jasper shrugged, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "I don't know. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"A good way to torment me, you mean." Alice huffed, glaring at him. "Well, go ahead, get your shots in. I have friends waiting for me."

She looked over her shoulder to see the group of girls watching them. When she turned back to Jasper, she was startled to see he'd moved closer. Leaning down so that she could feel his breath on her cheek, he whispered tauntingly.

"I don't know what you mean, Alice. Why would I _torment_ you?"

Alice backed up a step, her eyes wide, fear flashing in them briefly. "I honestly don't know. Why would you... t-torment me?" she asked him, trying to show bravado.

Jasper smiled wickedly at her, pleased that she was playing into his game. He leaned down to whisper into her ear again, sending shivers down her spine.

"Cause it gives me so much... _pleasure_." he purred low in his throat, his double meaning apparent.

Alice jerked away from him and started to walk away, when his voice reached out to her.

"Alice? Aren't you supposed to show me around? I don't believe you've introduced me to any of your friends." Jasper taunted, his face alight with laughter, his voice amused.

"Fine. Come on." she snapped, turning back and grabbing onto the sleeve of his suit jacket. His laughter mocked her as she marched him across the room. Approaching the table that Emmett, Rosalie and their cronies were camped at, Alice came to a halt.

"Hi, guys!" she greeted them in a friendly voice. "I hope everyone's having fun. You all know Jasper, right?"

At their nods, she kept talking. "Well, Ms. Jenkins asked me to introduce him around but since you all know each other already, here he is."

With that, she smiled, pivoted on her heel and walked away. She could hear Jasper's guffaws across the room as she went back to her friends.

"What was that about, Ali?" Leah asked, watching Alice intently. Alice looked at Bella and Angela in question, hoping that they would've told the other girls what was going on.

"Well, the new boy, Jasper, has decided that he enjoys tormenting me and spends all his time thinking of creative ways to do it. That was him getting Ms. Jenkins to have me introduce him around." Alice told them, matter-of-factly.

"Doesn't he already know some of the kids here?" Emily asked her, glancing over to where Jasper sat with his friends.

"Yep, he only did it to aggravate me." Alice told them, scowling.

"But, why?" Leah asked. "Why does he pick on you?"

Alice filled them in on how she'd hit him with the door on the first day and about their schedules.

"So, I have five classes with him and lunch. I don't know how long I'll be able to put up with him." Alice finished. "I've even called my dad a couple times about letting me come home."

"Alice! You can't." Jessica protested. "We love you! We'd miss you so much."

"Yeah, and who would plan our social events?" Emily added. "You're so good at it. None of us would be able to fill your shoes."

"We'll help you, Ali." Angela vowed, her eyes determined. "We'll keep him away from you until he loses interest."

Alice smiled. "Thanks, you guys. That would be great!"

Alice leaned forward to begin planning how the other girls could help her keep Jasper away, when she noticed they all got quiet and were looking over her shoulder. She turned, curiosity on her face, to see none other than Jasper Whitlock, himself, smiling down at her.

He let his eyes touch on each girl in the group, his smile charming and greeted them like a gentleman.

"Ladies, how are you all this evening?" his eyes danced with amusement as he swore he heard more than one of them sigh. They all murmured a greeting and he looked down at Alice once again.

"I hope you don't mind my interruption, Alice, but I was wondering if you could introduce me to your lovely friends?" his eyes mocked her, but his smile never faltered and she gritted her teeth in frustration.

She introduced him to each of the girls and she could tell that they were smitten with his tall, blond good-looks. She was fairly vibrating with anger by the time he asked her to dance.

"I'd rather you, anyway." she replied cooly and turned back to her friends.

"Oh, but, Alice, I figured Ms. Jenkins would be pleased to see that you're helping me, like she asked." Jasper's smug voice provoked her. "I don't think she'd be happy if you neglected her request."

Alice turned to glare at him and he bowed mockingly and held out his hand. She reluctantly took it and let him lead her out onto the dance floor. A slow song was playing and he pulled her into his arms. He chuckled when he felt her stiffen against his chest and hold herself away from him, but he let her have her space.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked him, confusion clouding her face. "I don't understand."

He led her around the floor for a few minutes in silence before clearing his throat. "I really don't know." he answered honestly. "That first day, I was just pissed but now, it's just fun, I guess."

She let her eyes lower to the floor and continued to stiffly move with him. He towered over her, even in her heels and she felt him bend down to whisper in her ear once more.

"I can't help myself, you know?" he whispered suggestively and her eyes flew to his.

"Wha.. what do you m-mean?" she asked, her eyes big in her face.

"Teasing you." he told her, his eyes gleaming. "I can't help myself. It's just too much... fun."

Her face hardened. "Well, it's not fun for me." she looked away from his face so close to her own. "It's not fun at all."

She heard him sigh and felt him try to pull her closer. She stiffened even more and was determined to keep the space between them. She saw other couples dancing but didn't register any of them, her mind filled with plans to keep away from him. She was convinced he wasn't planning on losing interest in taunting her any time soon.

As the music ended, Alice drew in the breath she hadn't realized she was holding and stepped back away from Jasper. He kept his hold on one of her wrists, though and started to lead her in the opposite direction of her friends. Alice tried to yank free of his grip but he continued to walk, pulling her behind him.

"Where are we going?" she whispered furiously. When he continued to ignore her, she tried digging in her heels. His step didn't even falter and Alice began to feel panic course through her. She didn't want to make a scene but he was starting to scare her.

"Jasper, please?" she begged fearfully, afraid of what he had in mind and he finally turned to face her. She saw determination and something else in his face, but she couldn't place it in her desperation. "Please, let go of me."

"I just need some fresh air." he snapped, his brows drawing together in a scowl. "I'm not going to hurt you."

He continued to pull her across the large room toward the double doors leading to the outdoor courtyard. Once they were outside, Jasper continued to lead her away from the other kids and she stumbled trying to keep up with him.

"Stop! Please. I... I want to go back inside." Alice told him, panic in her voice and he looked over at her, seeing her scared face.

"I said I wasn't going to hurt you." he growled impatiently, finally coming to a stop at the back of the courtyard. The lights in the courtyard were dim compared to the other parts of the campus and he yanked her into the shadows away from the windows.

"Look," he growled at her again. "I'm sorry that I've been teasing you, okay? I didn't mean to, it just happened. At first I was just pissed that I had to go to school here but there's just something about you that makes me want to... mess with you." he shrugged. "Now I just can't seem to stop."

Alice gaped up at him, his face partially in shadow but she could still see the gleam in his eyes.

"Well, try harder." she told him faintly, trying to sound brave. She could feel his fingers biting into her wrist as he drew her closer. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her forward until her breasts were smashed against his hard chest.

Something warm and wicked sliced through Alice and she gasped out loud at the sensation. Her startled eyes flew up to his to see them locked on her lips. Alice heard herself whimper as he lowered his head.

Jasper touched his lips softly to Alice's. The enticing smell of her was getting to him and he'd decided he just had to taste her. She'd been dominating his thoughts these past weeks and he found that he liked it. He just hadn't realized why, until now. He slanted his mouth over hers again and again and could feel her begin to melt into him. She no longer stood rigid in his arms as he touched the tip of his tongue to her lips to gain access to her mouth. She finally opened to him slightly and he plunged in to explore. Her mouth was sweet and warm and he felt oddly pleased that she didn't seem to have the slightest idea how to kiss.

He threaded the fingers of one hand through her silky hair and held her to him with his other hand on her lower back. He tasted her lips and absorbed her scent, the warmth of her body heightening the potency. He moved his hand over her, feeling the softly rounded curve of her hip and let loose with a low groan.

Alice's head was spinning and she clung to Jasper's wide shoulders with both hands. One of his hands slid over her hip and she felt her knees wobble. His warm tongue played with hers and she tasted mint. She moaned softly as he held her up and he chuckled low in his throat. The sound was like a bucket of cold water being thrown on her and Alice jerked her lips away and stared up into his startled eyes.

"Stop." she whispered, her eyes searching his. The depths of his green eyes smoldered with amber light and his lips were parted as his breath came in small pants.

He just stared down at her and Alice tried to pull out of his arms. He hung on to her tightly for a second then loosened his hold and Alice backed away a few steps before turning and running for the door. Jasper stayed in the shadows taking in calming breaths. He felt dazed by the fire running through him and couldn't understand what had just happened.

Running his fingers through his hair, Jasper's startled thoughts consumed him. There was no way he'd just gotten all hot and bothered over the little Hulk girl. He'd only wanted to get her away from everyone else so he could talk to her, apologize, but the minute he'd looked down into her eyes, he'd known that he needed to kiss her. He touched a finger to his lips in wonder. He'd never felt like that before, not even with Maria, his girlfriend back in Texas. They'd slept together plenty of times but he'd never felt such intense sensations run through him, especially from just a kiss.

With faltering steps, Jasper made his way back into the building, his thoughts in a whirl. The feelings coursing through him were making him feel almost giddy. Once he was back inside, Jasper's eyes darted quickly around the room. They were seeking out the girl who'd just made his toes curl but his search came up empty. She was no where to be seen. He spotted the two friends she was usually with and he walked over to them. They looked up at him with wary eyes and he cleared his throat.

"Um... excuse me, ladies. Do you know where Alice went?" he asked them. They looked at each other before the one called, Angela, spoke.

"She went back to her room." she told him, her eyes belaying her mistrust. "She said she had a headache."

Angela could've sworn that Jasper looked disappointed. If he was, she figured it was only because Alice had spoiled his fun for the night and he wouldn't be able to taunt her any more.

Jasper thanked them politely and wished them all a good night. As he walked away, the other girls in the group sighed and let their eyes worship him.

"Too bad he's such an ass, huh, girls?" Leah asked, her face dreamy as she admired Jasper's wide shoulders.

Emily giggled. "Yeah, too bad."

"Yeah." Jessica groaned, her tongue practically hanging out. "He's definitely the best-looking guy here."

"You think so?" asked Bella, her eyes going to Edward Cullen. He was currently laughing with some of the other football players over at another table. "There are some other really cute guys here, too, you know?"

The other girls giggled as their eyes followed in Bella's direction. Then they gathered closer together to begin discussing who was gorgeous and who was simply okay-looking.

Alice slid in her high heels as she ran back to her dorm. She couldn't get away fast enough and felt as though the devil, himself, was at her back. She hated Jasper Whitlock with every fiber of her being and vowed to call her dad again to get her out of here. It had only been a month but she knew she couldn't stand much more. His constant taunting was beginning to drive her crazy and now he'd stolen her first kiss.

A sob tore from her throat as she yanked at the heavy, ancient door. Wrenching it open enough to slip through, she flew up to her room and began to scrub the makeup off her face. As soon as her face was clean, she tore off her dress, yanked a sleep shirt over her head and dove into her bed. Once she was safely under the covers, Alice let the tears come and soon had her pillow soaked.

Alice had looked forward to her Senior year all summer and now Jasper had ruined everything. In the space of a few weeks, he'd managed to get her looking around every corner, micro-managing every second to avoid him and now, he'd stolen something that should've been very special to her. She smacked her pillow with her fist in frustration and wished there was something she could do to get back at him. Her mind was too distraught to come up with any solutions tonight, so she forced herself to relax and finally fell asleep.

~play the game~

The next day, the staff had a lot of activities planned but Alice said she still had a terrible headache and stayed in her room. On Sunday, when Alice didn't show up for breakfast, Ms. Jenkins approached Bella about her. Mrs. Adams, the school nurse, was sent to their room and Alice was deemed healthy enough to have a tray brought in.

"Not eating isn't going to help your headache, Alice." Mrs. Adams scolded her. "I'm having a tray sent to your room and I expect you to eat every bite."

"Yes, ma'am." Alice meekly replied. Not eating anything the day before, and with all of the tears she'd shed, it was no wonder she had a full-blown whopper of a headache. Her stomach felt queasy but she didn't tell Mrs. Adams that. She didn't want to forced to go down to the infirmary just for a dang headache. Besides, Alice already knew perfectly well what had caused her headache, Jasper Whitlock.

Alice ate the food Mrs. Adams sent her, took some more pain relievers and went back to sleep. By the time she woke up a couple hours later, she felt much better and decided to give her dad a call.

"Daddy? It's Ali." she said sweetly into her phone. She told him that she still really wasn't happy and wondered if she could please come home and go to school there. Her dad said that, if she was that unhappy, he would talk to her mother about it and, after some small talk, they said their goodbyes. Alice snapped her phone shut in frustration.

Feeling more depressed than ever, Alice took a shower and figured she'd go down to the dining hall for supper. The staff was having a movie night afterward and she didn't think that Jasper could cause too much trouble during that.

Slipping into jeans and a sweater, Alice walked slowly down to the cafeteria. Once inside, she spotted Bella and made a beeline for her, not allowing any opportunity for Jasper to detain her. She didn't see him right away so she thought that maybe she was okay. As she approached the table where Bella and Angela sat, her eyes widened in horror as she finally noticed who they were sitting with.

Bella was talking quietly with Edward Cullen, and Emmett McCarty and Rosalie Hale were having an animated discussion with Angela, James Hunter and Jasper Whitlock. Alice stumbled to a stop and stood motionless wondering what to do. She'd sorely underestimated Jasper and hadn't anticipated how far he would go to get to her.

"Alice!" Rosalie shouted when she spotted her. She waved her hand, beckoning her over. "Come sit with us! Oh my God, Jasper is hilarious. He's filling us in on why guys should be allowed to wear skirts."

Alice's eyes moved slowly over to see the Ass grinning at her and she felt like crying. Taking a deep breath, she plastered on a smile and walked over to sit down. Of course, the only chair available was between him and Emmett, so she scooted it as far away from him as she could, and sat down.

"Well, I suppose guys should be allowed to wear skirts if they want to. Girls are allowed to wear pants." Alice quipped as she got settled, keeping her eyes on everyone but him.

Rosalie let out a screech of laughter and Emmett reached across Alice to slap Jasper's palm.

"There you go, Jas." Emmett crowed. "Ali is one of the smartest kids here. If she agrees with you, I say go for it."

Alice saw Edward shake his head in amusement. "I'm sorry but even if Jasper were to get the rules changed, I'm sticking to pants."

"Me, too." James piped up, a goofy grin on his face. "Although, I do have really sexy legs."

Everyone laughed and Alice snuck a quick glance next to her. Bright green eyes sparkled at her and she averted her gaze. Twisting her fingers in her lap, she was secretly thrilled that Emmett thought she was one of the smartest kids in the school but she wished she was smart enough to figure out how to get Jasper to leave her alone.

As the other kids continued to talk and laugh, Alice could feel Jasper looking at her and she placed her hand over her stomach. She feared the stress of having him near her all the time, was messing up her stomach. She suddenly didn't think she'd be able to eat, after all.

Jasper felt a stab of guilt when he'd turned to see Alice standing behind him looking like she was going to throw up. She had dark circles under her eyes and there was no color in her cheeks. He figured she'd stayed in her room yesterday to avoid him but now he wondered if she really was sick.

"How're you feeling, Alice?" she heard next to her ear. She leaned away and looked over at Jasper. He looked genuinely concerned and Alice immediately wondered what he was up to.

Before she could answer him, a commotion at the front of the room caused all eyes to turn that way. A cheer went up as the staff began putting pizzas on the long tables set up there. No one had known what they would be serving this year but there was always something special the first Sunday social of the year. Pizza was always a favorite and the staff beckoned the kids to line up for their share.

Alice began to stand, she was going to let her friends know that she was leaving and planned to slip back to her room. Before she got all the way to her feet, she felt a light touch on her arm. With wary eyes, she saw that Jasper was looking at her expectantly.

"Uh... Alice, I'll get you some pizza. What kind would you like?" he asked her, his eyes surprisingly kind.

Alice stared at him in shock and plopped back into her chair.

"Ummm... I... I'm really not hungry." She told him, her voice breathy. "But... uh... thank you... ?"

"You have to be hungry, short stuff!" Emmett called as he moved around the table. "It's pizza!" He laughed enthusiastically and waved Jasper on. "Come on, Jas, before it's all gone."

Alice sat stupefied, unaware of her surroundings, until she heard Rosalie's voice.

"Oh my God, Ali! Jasper is totally into you." she looked over at the other two girls. "Did you see the way he was looking at her? I can't believe she's landed the best looking guy in the school and after only a few weeks, too."

Rosalie looked over at Angela and was surprised to see sympathy there.

"Do you think he picks on you because he likes you, Ali?" Angela asked gently, ignoring Rosalie's outburst.

"I don't know." Alice faltered. "He's really not been mean like he was that first day, just... annoying." then she shook her head. "No. It's a trick. It's gotta' be." she glanced at her two best friends. "Think about it. All of the sudden he's being nice to me, for no apparent reason, then... Bam! He's fooled me into thinking he likes me and humiliates me in front of everyone. No way." Alice shook her head again. "No way am I falling for that."

"What if he really does like you?" Bella asked her softly. "He seemed really concerned when he asked us where you were earlier."

"He did, Ali." Angela agreed. She looked over at Bella for reassurance. "In fact, he was really nice when he asked if we'd like to sit with them since it was just the two of us. We didn't know you were coming."

"Would someone please tell me what's going on?" Rosalie demanded impatiently. "Why would Jasper want to trick you, Ali?"

The three girls took turns filling Rose in on what had been going on with Jasper. Once they were finished, Rosalie's eyes were burning with anger.

"That piece of shit." she exclaimed, her expression scaring the other girls a little. "I outta' smack the crap out of him."

"No, Rose. He's not worth it." Alice told her, trying to calm her down before the boys came back. "I just need to figure out a way to get him to leave me alone, that's all."

Rosalie's eyes lit up, her expression excited. "I've got it!" she beckoned the girls closer. "You go along with his plan to make you think he likes you, then, before he can dump you, you dump him in front of the whole school. Do something really humiliating."

Seeing Alice's interest, Rosalie let out a giggle of enthusiasm. "It'll be classic, Ali! He won't know what hit him."

"Ali! It's perfect!" Angela told her. "You can use his own trick against him. He'll be so humiliated that he'll high-tail it all the way back to Texas."

"I don't know, you guys." Bella interrupted. "He seems awfully sincere to me. Are you sure he's just playing a trick on you, Ali?"

"Of course, I'm sure, Bella." Alice told her, her eyes lit up with anticipation. "He's tormented me for a month. Why would he, all of a sudden, decide he likes me? It's all a game to him."

"Yeah. Think about it, Bella." Rosalie interjected. "He's nothing but a snake."

"You can't tell Emmett, Rose. Okay?" Alice pleaded. "He might tell Jasper our plan."

Rosalie nodded. "I won't, Ali, I promise. Em's a great guy but he can't be trusted not to slip and ruin everything. He means well but his mind is always going a mile a minute."

"Great! Then it's settled. Operation 'Humiliate Assper' is in play."Angela said, her eyes twinkling as she looked around the table. "Our motto will be, 'Let's kick some Assper'!"

The girls were laughing at her joke as the boys walked back with the pizza.

"What's so funny?" Emmett wanted to know, setting down two plates full of pizza.

"Nothing, Em." Rosalie told him, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "Wow! You got a lot of pizza, honey. I hope you don't think I'm gonna' eat all that."

Rosalie effectively distracted Emmett as she teased him about bringing so much food and the other boys set their plates on the table and took their seats.

Jasper turned to Alice, a cautious expression on his handsome face.

"You didn't say what kind of pizza you like, Alice, so I brought a few different kinds." he watched her carefully. "I hope that's okay?"

Alice blushed, in spite of herself, and nodded.

"That's fine, Jasper. Thank you." she helped herself to a piece and set it on her plate. Jasper handed her a glass with ice in it.

"What would you like to drink?" he asked, indicating the plastic bottles of soda pop in the middle of the table.

"Um... Cola is fine, thank you." she told him, trying to keep him from seeing the apprehension in her eyes.

They all made small talk as they ate their pizza and Alice noticed Jasper looking at her out of the corner of his eye several times. Even though she was excited about their plan, she was still nervous and it was all she could do to force down some of the pizza. As soon as she finished her glass of soda, Jasper was refilling it for her and he asked her a few times if she'd like anything else. She wanted so badly to ask him what he was up to but she knew she didn't dare. She didn't want to blow the whole plan before they even had the chance to get it started.

Once everyone was finished eating, the staff urged them to clean up quickly so that they could begin the movie. Seeing as it was a beautiful fall evening, they'd decided to have the show outside. All of the kids spread blankets out on the grass to see the movie projected against the smooth side of the building.

Alice planned to sit with Bella and Angela but the minute the blankets were down, Edward pulled Bella onto his blanket and James asked Angela to join him. Alice felt her stomach drop when she realized that left her to sit with Jasper but she figured it would help out their plan, so she smiled bashfully at him when he indicated the blanket and settled on the far edge away from him.

The movie was a silly, romantic comedy and soon everyone around them was laughing and enjoying the film. Alice noticed that the others were all snuggled together on their blankets and she chanced a glance over at Jasper. She was surprised to see him staring intently at her and she wondered what he was thinking. She quickly looked away and felt butterflies dancing in her stomach. Her instinct was to run but she had to learn to stop shying away from him if their plan was going to work. She realized that she was wringing her hands and drew her knees to her chest so she could wrap her arms around them. She hoped the night would be over soon and it took all her resistance not to look at the time on her phone.

Jasper saw Alice glance warily over at him and wondered what she would do if he slid over by her. _"Probably jump up and run." _he thought as he pretended to watch the movie, silently berating himself for treating her the way he had.

Jasper was ashamed of how he'd been teasing Alice but he knew he'd do it all over again, he just couldn't seem to help himself. He'd been drawn to her right away, well, right after his nose had finally stopped bleeding. He'd thought he just enjoyed teasing her but then, he'd seen her all dolled up for the dance and his breath had stopped dead in his chest. He'd wanted to run his hands through her hair, kiss her lips and hold her close. She looked so small and perfect and she'd smelled so good that he'd not been able to stay away from her. Luckily, Ms. Jenkins had played right into his hands by having Alice act as his hostess. What had started out as a way to aggravate her, had turned into a way to get her to spend some time with him. When he'd dragged her out to the courtyard, he'd only meant to get some fresh air so her scent would stop making him dizzy but he'd ended up kissing her instead. He knew he'd freaked her out. She hadn't shown up at all yesterday or most of today, either. If she hadn't shown up tonight, he'd thought about knocking on her door. Thank God he hadn't had to resort to that.

Looking over at her again, Jasper saw that she was twisting her fingers in her lap and right then, he knew she was as aware of him as he was of her. When she pulled her knees up in front of her, Jasper silently slid closer to her and saw her whole body stiffen.

"It's okay." he whispered. "Please don't be afraid. I just wanna' talk to you."

She looked at him suspiciously. "What about?" she asked quietly, trying to make her body relax.

He reached up to rub the back of his neck and then flipped the hair out of his eyes with a shake of his head.

"Well, I was wondering... first of all... if... well..." he looked at her helplessly and she almost felt sorry for him. Now that he was intent on making his plan work, he didn't know how to go about it.

She continued to watch him expectantly and he finally managed to say what he wanted.

"I'm really sorry for the way I've acted, Ali." he looked at her for a moment. "Is it okay if I call you, Ali?"

Alice nodded. "Yes." she whispered.

He smiled, encouraged by her agreement. "Anyway, like I told you the other night, I don't know why I treated you so badly. I just did, but I'm so sorry, Ali. I won't do it any more. I promise."

She had to hand it to him, he was convincing. If she didn't know better, she'd think he was sincere.

"Thank you, Jasper." she smiled. "I appreciate your apology. I guess I won't have to call my dad again and beg him to let me come home, after all."

Jasper looked stricken for a second before he spoke. "You asked your dad if you could go home?"

When she nodded, he asked for clarification. "You mean, leave... because of me... and not come back?"

"Yes. He wasn't crazy about the idea but I think he was warming up to it." she admitted, letting her eyes fall back to her knees. "Just a couple more calls would've done it."

Jasper's voice was soft, the sound mellow. "I'm really glad you didn't leave, Ali."

She looked up at him, searching his eyes for any sign of his deceit. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out the words she promised herself she wouldn't say. "What are you up to, Jasper?"

He looked startled at her words and she mentally kicked herself.

"I mean, why so nice, all of a sudden? Have you decided that I'm not so bad, after all?"

He looked ashamed. "I don't think you're bad at all, Ali. In fact, I think you're pretty... wonderful."

Alice almost laughed at the expression on his face. He was either a really good actor or even he'd realized that he'd gone a little overboard with the last remark. She watched as he leaned closer, her eyes widening, and she caught her breath.

"I know I don't deserve for you to forgive me but I hope you can." his eyes were intent on hers and then a small grin curved his lips as his eyes moved to her mouth. "I'm not sorry for kissing you, though." he chuckled at the surprise on her face. "It was the hottest kiss I've ever had." Alice blushed and lowered her eyes.

"You're not mad, are you?" he asked when she didn't say anything. "Because I kissed you?"

She shook her head in answer to his question and he reached over and lifted her chin with his hand.

"I really am sorry about teasing you, Ali." he gazed into her eyes as though looking for the answer to an unspoken question, his fingers lingering softly along her jaw.

"Thank you, Jasper. I hope we can put the past behind us. Maybe we can even be... friends." Alice offered, trying to gain back her advantage. She really wasn't very good at this sort of thing.

Jasper smiled brilliantly at her and Alice was starstruck for a moment. She had to remind herself that he wasn't what he seemed and was only out to hurt her some more.

Jasper attempted to make small talk as they watched the movie and Alice noticed that he didn't move back over to his side of the blanket. She finally relaxed enough to let her hands fall to the blanket and curled her legs under her. A few minutes later, she felt his hand touch hers before he wrapped his warm fingers firmly around it. Alice didn't know what to think so she just left her hand there and pretended to watch the screen. Inside, her stomach was still full of butterflies and she held her shoulders stiff.

_ "Maybe their plan wasn't such a good one, after all."_ she thought. "_What if she wasn't strong enough to pull it off? She'd end up humiliated any way and Jasper would make her the laughingstock of the whole school. She wasn't very good at deception. On the other hand, if the plan did work, she'd teach him not to mess with her ever again and maybe, he'd be the one to go home." _

Alice hadn't been bluffing about calling her dad. She'd called him a half a dozen times over the last few weeks, more than she'd ever called him from school before and she'd been convinced that she almost had him talked into letting her come home.

_Was teaching Jasper a lesson worth passing up the chance to go home, if it came to that? Would she be able to pull it off? _She wasn't sure but then she thought of all the horrible things he'd said to her and the way he'd admitted that he enjoyed tormenting her, and she knew she was prepared to take their game all the way. She wanted the ultimate humiliation and she was prepared to do whatever it took.

~play the game~

Movie night had worked well to kick off the girls' plan. Jasper had been sweet and attentive, without actually making any aggressive moves on Alice. He'd slid closer so they could talk, he'd said, and his apology had sounded sincere, but before she'd realized what he was up to, he'd somehow been holding her hand. She'd let him, making an extreme effort to keep it from trembling and had blushed and smiled at all the appropriate places. Once the girls were back in their dorm, Bella told them that Jasper had been asking Edward about Alice.

"Edward said that he asked him several times if he knew where you were before he asked me and Angela. He also said that Jasper asked him if you'd ever had a boyfriend, Ali." Bella said. "He and Emmett didn't think that you had and Edward said that Jasper seemed pleased."

Angela looked from Bella to Alice with puzzled eyes. "Why would he care if you've had a boyfriend, Ali?"

Then her eyes widened and she gasped. "Oh my God! What if he's one of those guys who goes around trying to sleep with all the virgins?"

Bella made a scoffing sound. "Oh come on, Ang. Give the guy a break. I think he really likes you, Ali."

Alice shook her head. "No, Bella, I don't think so." she smiled sadly at her. "I think Edward really likes you but Jasper is definitely not the sweet, caring guy he pretended to be tonight. You forget, I've seen that other, evil side of him and I know what he's capable of."

Soon, Angela went to her own room and the other two girls continued to talk. As they got into their pajamas, Bella was still trying to convince Alice that Jasper might be sincere. Once they got into bed, though, Bella fell right to sleep but Alice lay awake for a long time, plans of revenge swirling in her head.

"Hi, Ali." Jasper approached her the next morning at breakfast. "How'd you sleep?"

Alice eyed him anxiously before she remembered that she was supposed to believe he'd changed. Relaxing her expression into a friendly one, she returned his greeting.

"I slept well, thank you, Jasper. How about you?" she smiled as she congratulated herself on her smooth reply.

His dimples flashed in his cheeks as he grinned at her and she could've sworn there was relief in his eyes.

"I slept really good." he told her, then a slight blush swept over his face. "I dreamt about you."

Alice had to put everything into not rolling her eyes as a shiver of revulsion shuddered through her. _"Oh gross!" _Ali thought. She hoped he really hadn't dreamt about her and she swallowed the nausea that threatened.

"That's sweet, Jasper." she told him, trying to work up a smile. "I hope it was a good one."

When he blushed even redder, Alice felt her own face get hot as she realized how that sounded. Luckily, Emmett and Edward joined them and Alice was able to let the awkward moment go.

"God! I'm so hungry!" Emmett moaned as he started shoveling oatmeal into his mouth non-stop. Alice just stared at him in disbelief.

Edward and Jasper looked at each other before bursting into laughter at the look on Alice's face.

"What?" Emmett asked, looking at each of them in turn. "Aren't you guys hungry?"

Edward and Jasper continued to laugh and Alice tried to smile at Emmett.

"Uh... not that hungry." Alice quipped and Emmett grinned before going back to his oatmeal.

Alice's head was throbbing by the time they met up again for lunch. Jasper had walked with her to every class and she'd wanted to scream at him to leave her alone. Instead, she'd tried to smile and show interest in his conversation. Her skin crawled every time he touched her and it was all she could do not to sneer at him when he paid her a compliment. The worst part, though, was that he seemed so genuinely sweet and it caused her physical pain to think that he could be that way and still hate her enough to put forth so much effort.

"Ali, Jasper doesn't hate you." Bella insisted as they stood in the lunch line. "He has no reason to hate you."

Alice arched her brow at Bella. "Then how do you explain his treatment of me for the last month, Bella?"

Bella looked hurt by Alice's scathing tone and Alice put her hand on Bella's arm.

"Sorry, Bells." Alice sighed, giving her an apologetic look. "I know I've been bitchy, I just can't seem to help it. I'm so darn stressed out. Maybe I should just call my dad to come get me, after all."

"No!" Angela exclaimed, walking up to her two best friends. "You're not giving in. You can't give, Assper, the satisfaction."

Bella and Alice both rolled their eyes at each other and Angela laughed. "If the name fits..."

The three girls began to giggle and Edward got in line behind them, his eyes bright with interest.

"What's so funny, ladies?" He asked, taking in their happy faces.

Bella blushed, giving him an adoring smile and it was Alice and Angela's turn to roll their eyes.

"Nothing much." Angela offered finally. "We're just in love with life."

Alice choked out another laugh and Angela grinned at her.

"Edward, I have to ask you this in front of Alice." Bella said in a soft voice. Alice shot her a warning look but she continued anyway. "Do you think that Jasper is seriously interested in Ali, or do you think he's just setting her up?"

"Bella!" Angela gasped as both she and Alice gaped at Bella in disbelief.

Edward looked between the three girls trying to figure out what they were up to. Finally, he decided to just answer Bella's question.

"Well, I think he's definitely interested. All he's talked about for the last three days is Alice." his eyes took in Alice's rosy cheeks and he grinned. "I don't know what changed for him but something sure has."

Bella gave her an 'I told you so' look but Alice wasn't convinced. "Have you known him very long, Edward?" Alice asked him shyly.

Edward shook his head. "No, but Emmett and Rose have known him for years. Their parents are really good friends and they spend every summer together." his expression turned thoughtful. "You know, if you really want answers, Emmett is the person to ask. Not around Rosalie, though." Edward rolled his eyes. "You won't get any straight answers with her around."

The girls thanked him but Alice eyed him warily before asking one last question. "You won't... say anything, will you?"

Edward shook his head. "I won't say anything, Ali. If Jasper is sincere, I hope you learn to trust him. If he's not, then he deserves whatever that twinkle in your eyes has planned for him." Edward looked deeply into her eyes. "Do me one favor, though. Be completely sure of Jasper's intentions before you do anything, okay? I don't want to see either of you get hurt and, for the record, I do believe he is genuinely sorry for the way he's acted."

Alice nodded, the intense throbbing in her head making her feel faint. "Okay, Edward. Thank you."

"Any time." he nodded and took his tray to their table.

Bella gave Alice another 'I told you so' look and Angela huffed out a breath.

"Oh, Bella. Just because Edward thinks that Jasper is sincere, doesn't mean he is. He said himself that he doesn't know Jasper that well."

"Well, just be careful, Ali. Make sure Jasper is really out to get you like Edward said, before you do anything you'll regret, okay?" Bella asked, sending Angela a quelling glare.

Alice agreed and the three girls carried their trays over to the table to join their friends.

"Hi, Ali." Jasper greeted her quietly as she took her chair next to him. His eyes glowed into hers and his dimples peeked out as he smiled at her.

She returned his smile and tried to tamp down the butterflies in her stomach.

"Hi, Jasper." she averted her eyes as the heat in her cheeks increased and she mentally chided herself for her reaction to him. _Damn it! I know he's planning to humiliate me. I will not give him the __satisfaction. I swear._

Emmett's voice brought Alice out of her thoughts. "Hey, Ali! Whatcha' got planned for next weekend?"

Rosalie smacked him on the arm. "Em, leave Ali alone. She's got a lot on her mind right now."

Alice felt panic in her chest. She gave Rose a warning look but Rose was focused on Emmett. Then Rosalie turned a sly smile toward Alice.

"Don't you, Ali?" she said suggestively, glancing smugly at Jasper. "After all, a new boyfriend takes up a lot of a girl's time."

Alice felt her face go up in flames and she glared at Rosalie. She knew that Rose was just trying to help but her obvious announcement of Jasper's status, put Alice on edge. She looked down at her lap, her embarrassment palpable and felt a light touch on her arm.

"You alright, Ali?" she looked up into concerned green eyes and saw a gleam of pleased confidence in them, as well. She knew she was right to be suspicious of his motives.

"I'm okay, just embarrassed. I hate that Rose assumed something like that." she hoped her expression didn't give her away. "Sorry."

Jasper quickly shook his head. "You've got nothing to be sorry or embarrassed about. Rose doesn't mean any harm. I think she's just trying to play match-maker. She loves to get people together."

"Oh. I didn't know that about her." Alice admitted, not being very close to Rosalie before.

"Yeah, she's always tried to fix people up as long as I've known her." he shrugged his shoulders. "I guess she just wants everyone to be as happy as she and Em are."

"That makes sense..." Alice trailed off, sending Rosalie another look, hoping that she wouldn't say anything else.

Making her way to her room, Alice was finally able to draw in a fortifying breath. Her plan was going well but the stress of not giving it away was going to kill her. She'd been able to slip away from Jasper when some of the other boys had captured his attention, otherwise, he'd stuck to her like glue the whole day. He was really going out of his way to show her that he liked her and Alice was relieved to think that maybe, they could set him up sooner than they'd originally planned. She didn't know how long she could continue the charade without caving and blowing the whole thing.

Flopping on her bed, Alice just enjoyed the silence. Bella was officially 'seeing' Edward Cullen and Angela and James Hunter were on their way to being a couple. This meant that they weren't in the room as much and Alice was able to have some time to herself.

More and more, she was re-thinking their plan to put one over on Jasper. She was more distressed carrying on the pretense, than she'd ever been when Jasper had been harassing her. With a sigh, her thoughts turned to the coming weekend. Now that the nights were getting cooler, she'd planned a cozy bonfire with songs, ghost stories, roasted hot dogs and s'mores. At first she'd looked forward to it but now, she was dreading it. These gatherings were always romantic and she figured that Jasper would use it to his advantage but her tolerance of him was wearing thin and it was all she could do not to sneer in his face whenever he said something sweet to her.

With a groan, she covered her head with her pillow. _Why did she even start this game in the first place? All she'd wanted was for Jasper to leave her alone. _

Suddenly, the door banged open."Ali, Jasper really likes you. You've got to stop this scheme to get back at him." Bella announced before the door was even closed behind her. She perched on the edge of Alice's bed and Alice took the pillow from her face and sat up.

"What did you hear?" she asked skeptically.

"Edward and I ran into him on the way back to the dorms. He was kind of upset that you'd gone on ahead when he'd stopped to talk. He asked me if I knew if you liked him at all." Bella grabbed Alice's hand. "He was genuinely concerned, Ali. You've got to stop this before you both get hurt."

"You're right, Bella." Alice agreed, nodding her head. "I'll just put some space between us and make sure I don't sit by him any more, or anything."

"Don't you like him at all, Ali?" Bella asked sadly. Alice bit her lip as she thought about Bella's question.

"I suppose..." she started, thinking about how sweet he'd been but Bella could see the uncertainty on her face. "I just can't trust him, Bella. I'll always worry that he's just setting me up."

"But, Ali, if you just give him a chance, he can prove that he's sincere." Bella insisted. "Come on, Ali, just give him a chance."

The door opened again and Angie came dancing into the room. "Hello, my lovelies." she sang as she hugged herself and twirled. Coming to a stop by Alice's bed, she smiled at her friends. "Whatcha' doing?"

"Just talking." Bella told her with a grin. "What're you so happy about? Huh? Could it be a certain good-looking blond?"

Angela nodded eagerly and her friends laughed. By the sparkle in her eyes, they guessed that James was official.

"Are you guys going together then?" Alice asked, happy for her friend.

"Yep." Angie chirped and plopped down on Alice's bed with a satisfied smirk. "He asked me to go to the bonfire with him and when I said yes, he asked if I'd be his girlfriend." she giggled happily and laid back with a sigh. "He's so cute."

Alice watched as the two other girls giggled and chatted about their beaus and she felt a twinge in her chest. It would be so nice to be that happy and in love, or at least, in like, but she felt sure that Jasper only had games in mind for her.

~play the game~

The first day of October dawned sunny and unseasonably warm for Wisconsin. It was Friday and everyone was excited for the weekend. There was a football game against their fiercest rivals the next day and then the bonfire being held that evening. After classes were over for the week, Alice worked with the boys she'd recruited to help with the fire. Once the bonfire was built, they all agreed to meet the next day after breakfast to finish setting up and then Alice let them go on their way. Jasper and Emmett were part of this group and, after the other boys had departed, they hung around waiting to see what the girls had planned.

"I'm letting my hunky man take me out for dinner." Rosalie exclaimed, putting her arm around Emmett. "And then, we're going to come back here and snuggle in front of Em's TV."

She looked around at the other couples as they gathered. "What're you guys all doing?" she asked.

After everyone but Alice and Jasper had filled the others in on their plans, Rosalie looked expectantly at them.

"Well?" she demanded, a knowing gleam in her eyes. Alice wished that the ground would open up and swallow her. She was really going to have to have a talk with Rose.

"Well, I... I don't h-have any plans." Alice said, embarrassment flooding her face. "I was just going to finish getting things ready for tomorrow night."

She felt a light touch on her arm and looked up at Jasper standing next to her. "Well, Rose, I was going to ask Alice if she'd like to do something but I haven't had a chance." he looked down at Alice. "Would you?"

"Um... well... uh... sure." Alice mumbled, her whole body blushing and turned to glare at Rose. Rose simply smiled pleasantly at her, grabbed Emmett's hand and bid everyone good-bye.

Once everyone had gone to do their own thing, Jasper watched Alice as she stood silently looking at the ground, twisting her fingers together behind her back. He spoke softly so as not to startle her.

"I'm sorry you got put on the spot like that, Ali. I intended to ask you earlier if you wanted to do something tonight but we got busy and I never got the chance." he gazed hopefully at her. "Would you go somewhere with me? I'd like to show you something."

Alice bit her lip, contemplating whether she should give him that chance or nip it in the bud right now. At his suddenly crestfallen expression, she gave in.

"Sure, I'd love to. The bonfire stuff can wait until morning." she told him with a shy smile. His whole face lit up and Alice wondered for the millionth time if she was wrong about him.

"Great! I've gotta' go get something. Can I pick you up at your dorm in a half an hour?"

"Okay. I'd like to get cleaned up first, anyway." she said. "I'll meet you by the door."

Jasper grinned happily and nodded. "I'll meet you by the door."

Thirty minutes later, Alice went to shove the door open but stopped short as she remembered what happened the last time Jasper had been outside that door. Pushing against it, she slipped through the opening and saw him leaning on the wall beside it. He pushed away from the wall, a welcoming smile on his face and took her hand.

"Alice, you look really pretty." he greeted her, taking in her appearance. It was obvious that she'd taken care with her clothes and hair. Grinning at her bashful smile, he drew her down the walk toward the parking lot.

"It's a bit chilly tonight, I hope you'll be warm enough." he said, eyeing her skirt and tights. They looked thick enough to keep her legs warm but jeans would've been better.

Alice's eyes widened when she saw the motorcycle sitting there. She raised fearful eyes to his and he waited anxiously for her reaction.

"I... I've never ridden on a motorcycle before." she admitted, looking over every inch of the bike. She continued to walk toward it with Jasper, her thoughts whirling.

"It's the only thing I have here with me." Jasper told her, still anxiously holding her hand. "Will it be a problem for you?"

"Oh... I don't... think so." she eyed the machine warily. Taking a deep breath she looked over at Jasper and gave him a tentative smile.

He grinned back at her and let go of her hand to pick up a black leather jacket laying across the seat.

"I brought this for you to wear. I know it'll be too big but it'll protect you and keep you warm." He helped her into it and laughed out loud at how big it was on her. "Okay, I underestimated how big it would be on you."

Alice looked down at herself and giggled. The jacket reached to just above her knees and covered her hands completely. Looking up into his laughing face, she stuck her tongue out at him. Still chuckling, he slipped on his own jacket and picked up one of the helmets hanging on the bike.

"Well, since the jacket fits so well, I imagine the helmet will be perfect." he teased, his eyes twinkling as she let him set it on her head. He gently tucked her hair in around her face and tightened the strap. He drew back to look her over and bent over laughing.

"Oh my God, Alice, you look so cute." he told her, still chuckling as he fastened her jacket down the front. "Like a little kid playing dress-up."

Alice frowned as she watched his hands. She felt vulnerable and she didn't like it.

His hands finished but he didn't move, so she looked up into his face. He was gazing down at her with concern.

"What?" she snapped, her irritation evident.

"Um... you seem... upset." his face was worried, his eyes searching hers.

"Well, you're not being very nice. I should've known you'd go back to being mean, sooner or later." Alice reached up to try and undo the strap of the helmet, her eyes glittering with anger.

Jasper felt as though he'd been slapped. He didn't understand what he'd done to make her so angry. He reached out to stop her from removing her helmet.

"Alice, I've apologized several times and you said you forgave me. How am I being mean now?" he looked genuinely puzzled and Alice thought that maybe she'd been wrong, again.

"You... well, you said I looked... like a little kid." she realized how foolish that sounded and gave him a sheepish look. "I thought you were... you know... making fun of me."

Jasper chuckled and reached up to stroke her cheek tenderly. "Ali, you look adorable in my stuff. I didn't mean anything by it. I love the way you look." he bent over and touched his lips lightly to hers, grinning when she blushed.

"You still wanna' go?" he asked, a hopeful look in his eyes. She nodded and he told her that he would lift her onto the bike and not to be scared.

"You trust me, don't you?" she looked uncertain for a second but then nodded again, and he put his hands on her waist and lifted her. Jasper's mouth went dry when Alice spread her legs so she could straddle the bike. The dark wool skirt she had on, rose up to expose a sliver of pale, silky-looking skin above her thigh high stockings. He swallowed thickly as she fumbled with the jacket's sleeves so she could pull it back down and he grabbed his helmet and shoved it on his head. He lifted his leg over the bike and tried to banish the sight of that little bit of bliss from his mind.

"Hold onto me tight, Ali." Jasper told her before turning back to start the bike. He felt her put her arms around him and he forced himself to keep breathing normally. He started the bike and he felt her arms tighten, her body snug to his back, her thighs tightly hugging his ass. Taking a deep breath, he put up the kick stand and eased out of the parking lot. As he drove, he swore he could feel the heat of her through his thick leather jacket and he wondered if this had been such a good idea after all.

According to Edward and Emmett, Alice had never had a boyfriend before. Jasper vowed that he wasn't going to be the one to rush her into anything but, damn, if she kept gripping him like that with her legs, he might go up in flames before they even got down the road. He tried thinking of other things and let the chilly late afternoon air help to cool him down. He felt her lay her head on his back and a wave of tenderness washed over him. He realized he'd do anything to keep her safe and knew he could never hurt her.

Relaxing and enjoying the freedom of the bike and the wind in his face, Jasper thrilled to the idea of showing Alice his secret place. He'd discovered it shortly after arriving and hadn't told anyone else about it. He'd decided earlier today that he'd like to share it with Alice and he wondered at his need to do so.

His head filled with thoughts, Jasper didn't notice the drive until they were almost there. He pulled off the main road and roared down a sandy path nearly invisible from the road. He felt Alice tense against him and he wondered what she was thinking. He slowed the bike so she wouldn't be scared and drove carefully through the weeds and over a small hill. There, on the other side, was a rocky beach bordering the lake.

Alice tried to see around Jasper but couldn't quite manage it without feeling like she was going to fall off. She held onto him for all she was worth and hoped that he stopped soon. Relief swept through her as he pulled the bike to a stop and put out the kick stand. He turned off the motor and she heard him holler back to her.

"It's pretty soft here so I've got to be careful not to knock over the bike. Just sit still and I'll lift you down once I'm off, okay?

"Okay." she hollered back, the noise from the bike having made her hearing muffled. She grabbed onto the seat as he got off and waited patiently for him to get her down. He grinned at her as he lifted her off and she stumbled a little when her feet hit the ground.

"Oh! I feel off-balance." she laughed, hanging onto his arm.

"It'll pass. You're just not used to it, yet." Jasper chuckled as he took off his helmet. He reached up and loosened hers and she lifted it off and shook out her hair.

"You okay now?" At her nod, he fastened the helmets to the bike and lifted the seat to pull out a thin blanket. Taking her hand, he led her onto the beach and spread the blanket on the ground.

Alice bit her lip, uncertainty making her feel vulnerable again. There was no one around as far as she could see and that meant no one could hear her if she screamed. She watched Jasper with a cautious eye as he sat on the blanket. Once he was settled, he reached up and pulled her down onto his lap.

"Is this okay?" Jasper asked her, smiling softly. Alice nodded, trying to relax. She felt him nuzzle her hair and she smiled to herself, snuggling back into his chest. He put his arms around her and held her hands in his. It felt good to have his arms around her and she noticed the scenery for the first time.

"It's beautiful here, Jasper." Alice breathed, looking at the waves lapping at the shore and the birds flying over the water. He tucked a length of hair behind her ear and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"I come here a lot to think." he told her. "At first, I was really pissed at my dad and I didn't want to be friends with anybody. I figured that, if I made friends, I might start to like it here and I wanted to go home. Then I found this place and I thought that it might not be so bad here."

Alice turned to look back at him. "You like it here, now?"

"Well, I miss my old school and my friends, and it's really cold here compared to Texas." he shivered for effect and laughed. "But, yeah, I do like it here." he admitted, looking out over the water. Then his eyes connected with hers again. "I kind of like the people here, too." he told her in a teasing voice. "There's this one girl in particular."

Alice never took her eyes off his face. "There is?"

He smiled tenderly, his voice soft. "Yeah."

Alice broke eye contact and turned back to face the water. "I think the people here kind of like you, too." she said softly, leaning against him once more. She felt his arms tighten around her and his breath was warm in her ear.

"That's nice to know." he whispered, which sent a shiver down her spine.

"Are you cold, Ali?" concern colored his voice. "I shouldn't have brought you here. I knew you'd be cold."

He pushed her slightly away from him and Alice started to protest, but he only undid his jacket and then pulled her back against his chest, wrapping his jacket, and his arms, around her.

Alice snuggled into his warmth and sighed happily. She felt content and a little excited. She was suddenly very hopeful that Jasper was being honest in his feelings for her. She never would've believed that she and Jasper would become friends, let alone like this after their less than friendly beginning.

The two teenagers sat in silence just enjoying the other's company as they watched the sun set. The oranges, pinks and purples reflected on the lake and Alice didn't think she'd ever seen colors so beautiful.

The wind began to pick up and Alice felt cold, despite the heat pouring off of Jasper's body where it touched her own. She shivered a few times and she felt Jasper stir.

"You ready to get out of here, darlin'?" he murmured in her ear. "You're gonna' be frozen."

He lifted her off his lap and stood up. Shaking the sand from the blanket, he grabbed her hand and began to lead her back to the motorcycle.

"Thank you for bringing me here." Alice told him, squeezing his hand. "I love it."

"I'm glad, Ali. I've wanted to share my special place with you." he gazed at her tenderly and she felt her heart flip over in her chest. She could fall for him so easily she knew but she still wouldn't let go of that last tiny little doubt. She was afraid he was too good to be true and she didn't want to risk her heart.

~play the game~

The next morning, Jasper greeted Alice warmly at breakfast and Alice felt the pleasure of his smile all the way down to her toes. She wanted so badly to believe in him but fear of rejection just wouldn't let her.

Once breakfast was over, the boys followed Alice outside to finish getting everything ready for the bonfire after the game that night. Alice organized everyone like a pro and soon, everything was all ready.

"It looks great, Ali." Emmett told her. "Is there anything else you need before we head out?"

Alice shook her head. "I don't think so, Em, but thank you."

"If you find you need help after the game, let us know, okay?" Edward insisted giving her a grin and a wave as he and some of the other boys took off.

Jasper stood next to Emmett while he talked to Alice but he didn't say anything. Alice kept stealing glances at him but he just waited quietly until they were finished.

"Okay, Ali. Promise you'll ask for help if you need it?" Emmett demanded, giving her a frown.

Alice groaned. "I promise, Emmett! Geeze!"

Emmett grinned and called out a farewell as he sprinted off in the direction Edward and the other boys had gone. "See ya' later, Ali!" then, over his shoulder he hollered. "You comin', Jas?"

"Be right there!" Jasper called back, his eyes still on the tiny girl in front of him.

Once Emmett was gone, Jasper stepped closer to Alice and she watched him as he stood there grinning at her. He reached out and took one of her hands in his, his eyes intent on her face.

"Ali, will you be my date at the bonfire tonight?" he asked her, his grin gone but his eyes still glowing earnestly into hers.

Alice blushed and ducked her head. "Okay." she said softly, peeking up at him through her lashes. "I'd like that."

"Will you meet me after the game?" he asked, his eyes anxious. When she nodded, his face lit up with his grin and he gave her a soft kiss before running after his friends. "See you later, then!"

Alice waved, her heart pounding and slowly made her way back to the dorm, thrilled at the warmth filling her.

Weaving their way through the crowd, Alice followed her friends along the bleachers until they found an empty bench large enough to hold all of them. They filed into the seats, the sun shining brightly down on them while the warm breeze played with their hair. Alice was really looking forward to the bonfire that night as her eyes searched out the players on the field. She hoped with all her soul that her instincts about Jasper had been wrong.

Her eyes continued to search the field but, unable to spot Jasper, Alice sat back in her seat with a disappointed sigh. She saw Rosalie lean over from her place on the other side of Angela and tap her on the knee.

"He's number twenty-three, Ali." she said loudly.

Alice looked puzzled. "Who?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes and laughed. "Jasper, silly."

Alice blushed and focused on Rose's chin. "I wasn't looking for him." she insisted.

Rosalie laughed. "Okay, Ali. Whatever you say."

Bella and Angela joined in Rosalie's laughter and Alice gave them a sheepish grin. She looked back toward the field and tried to find number twenty-three without being too obvious. She saw a player reach up and take off his helmet and then there was a flash of dark blond hair shining in the sun. Alice smiled happily when Jasper put his hand to his mouth and blew her a kiss. Her cheeks turned a delightful shade of pink and she could hear the other girls giggle but she didn't care.

All through the game, Alice kept her eyes on Jasper. He would look up at her occasionally but mostly he was focused on the game. Right after half-time, he made a touchdown and the crowd went crazy. His teammates were hollering and patting him on the back but he turned to the stands and put his hand over his heart as he looked straight at Alice.

Alice was stunned. He was making his interest in her so obvious and she began to feel nervous again. Was this his way of letting everyone know he liked her so that, when the time came to humiliate her, they would all admire how thorough he had been?

"I won't think like that." Alice promised herself. "I'll guard my heart, just in case but I'll enjoy his attention while I have it." Satisfied with her plan, Alice vowed to enjoy the rest of the game.

Gilded Oaks won the game, ten to seven, and the boys were pumped as they came spilling out of the locker room. They were like a pack of puppies tumbling over each other, their hair still damp from the showers, their voices raised in triumph.

Jasper spotted Alice waiting with the other girls and his smile lit up his whole face. He went straight to her and lifted her up to spin her around before setting her carefully back on her feet.

"Hey, darlin'! Did you see my touchdown?" he asked, the thrill of celebration shining from his eyes.

Alice nodded, a big smile on her face. "I did and what a terrific touchdown it was, too."

Jasper laughed. "Thanks! I thought so." he put his arm around her, still grinning and they followed the other kids to the bonfire area.

As everyone gathered around, the football coach made a speech congratulating the team on their first win and telling of his confidence that they would have an awesome season. Everyone was in great spirits as Mr. Cullen, the headmaster, handed the torch to light the bonfire to the coach. There was cheering all around as the flame caught and the party was underway.

"Ali! Thanks! We're having the best time."

Alice waved and smiled as her classmates called to her. The bonfire was a huge success and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Somethin' wrong, darlin'?" Jasper asked her as he sat down next to her, his hands full of food and cans of cola. He handed her a cola and set the other things down.

"No." she replied, giving him a sweet smile. "Everything's great, actually."

He smiled at her and brushed a strand of hair off her cheek. "I'm glad." he looked around and then back at her. "I think everyone's having a good time. I know I am."

Alice blushed and looked down at the can in her hand. She heard him chuckle and she smiled. Since their trip to the lake the night before, Alice had been feeling blissfully happy. Jasper had taken her for a hamburger afterward and then escorted her back to her dorm, where he had kissed her tenderly and wished her sweet dreams.

She'd had them, too. Sweet dreams, that is. He was everything a girl could want in a boyfriend. He was attentive, thoughtful and sweet, not to mention extremely handsome. He seemed totally enamored of her and it was like the first month of school had never happened.

Alice watched as Jasper speared a hot dog on a skewer and roasted it over the fire. He smiled at her and settled his arm around her shoulders. Leaning into her, he asked her if she was warm enough and she nodded happily.

They ate their hot dogs, talking about anything and everything and just enjoyed being together.

"So Ali, how do you feel about Jasper now?" Bella gloated, a smug smile on her face as the two friends readied for bed that night.

Alice gave her a silly grin and both girls dissolved into giggles. Once they calmed down, they flopped onto Bella's bed.

"Well?" Bella prodded, poking Alice in the stomach.

"You're relentless, Bells." Alice insisted, poking her back. Bella pushed her hand away, laughing.

"Well, I really wanna' know, Ali." Bella continued once their laughter had died down again. "Do you still wonder if Jasper's playing a game with you?"

Alice looked thoughtful for a moment, then she smiled. "No." Bella nodded and gave her a knowing look. "He's been really sweet and I think he genuinely likes me. I don't know when he changed his mind but he's been nothing but... well... loving..."

Both girls looked at each other with wide eyes and mouths agape.

"Ali, do you think he... loves you?" Bella finally asked, staring at her. Alice stared back, her eyes wide as her mind whirled. Finally, she shook her head in disbelief.

"H-he c-can't... can h-he?" Alice stammered, looking scared. "We haven't known each other... long enough."

The next morning, the girls left their dorm for breakfast to find Jasper waiting for Ali outside the front door. His face lit up when he saw her and Bella and Angela exchanged knowing looks.

This pattern continued every day over the next couple of weeks, Jasper being lovingly attentive to Ali's every need and her friends speculating on Jasper's true feelings. Soon, the end of October arrived and along with it, the annual Halloween Bash. Alice and her committee had everything planned to go off without a hitch, so the only thing weighing on Alice's mind was what costume to wear. Her friends were all going as couples but Jasper had never said anything about the two of them being a couple and Alice didn't know if she should bring it up, or not.

"Geeze, Ali." Angela said, rolling her eyes as they waited for the boys to join them. "If you guys aren't a couple, I don't know who is."

"Yeah, Ali. It's obvious to everyone that Jasper is totally into you." Rosalie added, standing in the middle of the sidewalk, her hands on her hips. "How can you even wonder about it?"

"I don't know, Rose." Alice admitted. "I just... don't know."

"Oh my God! Ali, you're still not worried that Jasper's trying to trick you, are you?" Rosalie demanded. "That's just ridiculous."

Alice shook her head. "No, I don't think that. I just feel kind of insecure, I guess."

"Well, I talked to Emmett about it and he said there's no way that Jasper is playing you false." Rosalie announced. "He wasn't too happy that we'd planned to get even with him, though."

The three other girls gasped.

"Rose! You told Emmett about Ali's plan?" Bella inquired, her face showing her dismay. "You promised you wouldn't."

Rosalie scowled at her. "Bella, give me a break. It's not like Ali's going through with it. She likes him a lot." she looked at Alice. "You do, don't you?"

All three girls looked at Alice in question. She smiled dreamily at them. "Oh, yeah, I like him. I like him a lot."

The girls started to giggle and tease Alice when the boys walked up.

"Hey, girls!" Emmett called, going over to give Rosalie a kiss. "How's it going? You guys all decide on costumes yet?"

Jasper looked at Alice as though waiting for her answer. She gave him a slight smile but didn't answer. After all the other girls told Emmett what they, and their beaus, were going as, Rosalie told them that she and Emmett were going as Superman and Super Girl. They all agreed that was perfect for them and then all eyes swiveled to Alice and Jasper.

"What are you guys going as, Jas?" Emmett asked, looking between him and Alice. Jasper didn't answer right away, so Alice tried but no words would come.

"Uh... I... well... " Alice began to stutter, not looking at Jasper.

"Ali and I haven't decided what we're going as, yet." Jasper told him, smiling when Alice looked over at him. She returned his smile but felt uncomfortable with the situation. Once the subject was changed and they all started moving toward the Dining Hall for dinner, Alice pulled Jasper aside.

"We don't have to dress alike, if you don't want to." she told him, looking at the ground as they walked.

He stopped, turning toward her and her steps faltered as she faced him.

"Ali, why wouldn't I want to dress alike?" he asked her, a puzzled frown on his face. "You want to, don't you?"

Alice blushed and looked down at the ground. "Well, yes, but I didn't want you to feel... obligated."

Jasper chuckled, put his arm around her and began, once again, to follow the others.

"Ali, I don't feel _obligated_ to do anything with you." he told her, smiling. "I _want_ to spend time with you. I _love_ spending time with you."

She looked up at him, her face unsure. "Oh."

He smiled tenderly at her and pleasure flooded through her. Giving him a shy smile, she continued.

"I love spending time with you, too, Jasper. I just... well, it's just... we've never... " her words faltered and Jasper bent toward her.

"What, Ali?" he urged her to finish her thought. "We've never... what?"

Alice blushed and looked away again.

"Alice. What have we never done?" he prodded her but her eyes wouldn't meet his.

He brought her eyes back to his with her chin in his hand, stopping on the walk. "Please, tell me." he looked into her dark, luminous eyes, his whole face showing his worry, her whole face showing her embarrassment.

"Well..." she averted her eyes again. "We've never r-really t-talked about our... r-relationship."

Jasper looked at her blankly for a moment and then laughed out-right.

She stared at him in outrage. _How dare he laugh at her! _She crossed her arms over her chest and was about to stalk away, when he finally stopped laughing and put his arm around her again.

"Alice Brandon, you scared me." he shook his head at her, a wide smile stretching his mouth. "I wasn't sure what you were going to say."

"Well, we haven't... talked about it, I mean." Alice told him, still unsure of his intentions.

"You're right, we haven't." Jasper agreed, still chuckling. "What would you like to talk about?"

Alice ducked her head again, her unease at their conversation apparent. "Well... are we... you know... a c-couple? Boyfriend and... g-girlfriend?"

Jasper started laughing again and Alice felt tears prick her eyes.

_ "Here it comes" _she thought. _"Here comes the part where he humiliates me. Why did I let myself believe he really cared?"_

"Alice?" Jasper bent to look at her, his concern for her showing in every line of his face. "Are you crying?"

Alice shook her head, turning her face away from him. He stopped her and turned her to face him, worry and shock causing his fingers to dig slightly into her arms.

"Ali? What is it? What's wrong?" he asked, moving to cup her face in his hands. His concern shining from his eyes. "Talk to me. Please."

"Y-you l-laughed at me." she told him, a few tears running down her cheeks. "I n-never asked you to h-hang out with m-me." she let him wipe the tears from her cheek, his gaze intense. "Y-you just... d-did."

His smile was sympathetic but his eyes glowed into hers. "Ali, I laughed because I couldn't believe that you felt you had to ask me that. I think about you all the time, day and night." Jasper sucked in a deep breath. "I'm sorry that I've never told you how I feel." Jasper searched her face for a clue to what she was thinking.

"I didn't say anything about costumes because I was waiting for you to bring it up. I didn't want to pressure you. You seem so... scared... sometimes." He wiped a few more tears away and swallowed, looking down at her mouth.

"I... hope we're a couple." He looked back up, searching her eyes. "Are we, Ali? Are we a couple?"

Alice smiled at the hopeful, but insecure, expression on his face. "I'd like that... " then she looked away. "If you... d-do."

Jasper laughed again and hugged her to him. "Oh, Ali. What am I going to do with you?" he asked her, kissing the top of her head. "You silly, insecure girl."

He pulled back to look into her face once more. "How can such a beautiful, smart, perfect girl, be so insecure?" he shook his head. "I wouldn't change anything about you, though."

Alice smiled brightly through her tears and grabbed him around the neck with both hands to pull him down for a kiss. Jasper was shocked at first but then pulled her hard against him and kissed her back.

"Get a room!" they heard as they pulled apart, Jasper grinning and Alice blushing. Jasper flipped Emmett off and his laughter boomed around them as he led the rest of their friends into the Dining Hall. Jasper looked back down at Alice in wonder.

"That's the only time you've ever kissed me first." he said, smiling widely.

Alice giggled. "Well, I figured you deserved it after all those nice things you said."

He grinned and put his forehead to hers, gazing into her eyes. "I don't wanna' scare you, Ali, but I think... well... I think I'm... falling in love with you."

Alice's eyes widened as she stared up at him. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. She tried again but Jasper put his finger over her lips.

"Shhhhh... you don't have to say anything." he searched her features. "I want you to think about how you feel first. No pressure, okay?"

Alice nodded, her eyes still impossibly wide and Jasper chuckled at how adorable she was. He stood up straight and grabbed her hand.

"Come on, darlin'. Let's go eat." Alice nodded and let him lead her down the walkway, her mind going a mile a minute. Inside, she felt a joy she'd never felt before but outside, she was still in shock. She looked up at him numbly as they walked into the building and he simply smiled at her.

_ "I'll just let her digest that for a while."_ he thought, watching the emotion play over her face. He was positive that she felt the same but he knew she was timid, to say the least, and he wanted her to be sure before she committed to saying the words.

~play the game~

The day of the Halloween Bash dawned crisp and clear. It fell on a Friday and the staff had decided to let the kids off with a half day of classes in order to get everything done. A lot of them pitched in and soon the Community Center was transformed into a terrifying Halloween paradise.

Alice looked around and clapped her hands. This would be the best Halloween Bash ever and everyone had pitched in to help. Locking the door behind her so that nothing would be disturbed, Alice made her way to the Dining Hall for supper. Even though there would be a lot of snacks at the party, the staff wanted the kids to eat before going to change into their costumes.

After much contemplation, Alice and Jasper had decided to go as a Confederate soldier and southern belle, complete with gray uniform and hoop skirt. Alice was excited and couldn't wait to see how they looked together.

Her friends greeted her as she took her seat at their usual table and Jasper leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"I can't wait to see you in that dress, Ali." he grinned wickedly at her. "I'm betting you're gonna' look hot!"

She giggled and smacked him on the arm. He laughed as he handed her her dinner off his tray. She thanked him and they ate as quickly as they could. Escorting her to her dorm, Jasper bade her farewell and practically skipped all the way to his dorm, happiness filling him. The past few weeks had been a dream come true. He still couldn't believe that he'd fallen in love with the little Hulk girl that had almost broken his nose. Things had changed so much over the last month and he'd never felt happier.

Alice floated down the hallway toward the door leading out of the girls' dormitory. As she approached, she noticed that the heavy, wooden door stood open and she grinned when she saw all of the boys waiting outside.

There was Superman, of course, flexing his muscles, a cute little curl plastered to his forehead. A knight in shining armor stood waiting impatiently, brandishing his sword in case a dragon tried making off with his lady fair. A pale, but sexy vampire, blood dripping from his fangs, attempted to shield himself from the setting sun as he waited for his lovely victim.

Then, as she reached the open doorway, the others seemed to fade away as her eyes were drawn to the beautiful, blond soldier standing off to the side, a lone red rose in his hand. Wolf whistles echoing in her ears, Alice lifted her skirts and walked slowly toward Jasper. She was in awe of him as she took in the way his wide shoulders filled out the gray uniform jacket. He met her on the walk and handed her the rose with a flourish.

"Alice..." he breathed, his eyes glowing as he looked her up and down. "You look stunning... just... beautiful."

Alice smiled in pleasure, a faint blush warming her cheeks as she accepted the perfect red rose. Bringing it to her nose, she inhaled its perfume and looked up at Jasper through her lashes.

"Thank you, Major Whitlock." she murmured playfully, as he grinned at her. Bending at the waist, he bowed to her, then stood, placed his hat on his head and offered her his elbow.

"My pleasure, ma'am." he said in his sexy southern drawl.

With a giggle, Alice placed her hand on his arm and let him escort her to the party.

Behind her, Alice could hear Edward telling Bella that he 'vanted to suck her blood', and she giggled again. Halloween was such fun, especially this year when she had someone to go with, someone so very sweet and handsome and all hers.

"Oh my God, you guys!" Rosalie gasped as she fell into a chair. "I'm so tired. Emmett is wearing me out." she fanned herself as Alice and Bella laughed at her.

"Well, he is Superman." Bella quipped, much to Rosalie's amusement and the three girls giggled together.

"What's so funny?" Count Edward asked as he flung his cape out behind him and sat next to his pale, but beautiful victim, blood running from the two small 'holes' in her neck.

Bella waved her hand, nonchalantly, at him. "Just Emmett. Rose was saying how he's wearing her out."

Edward laughed and looked at Rose. "He is pretty pumped tonight."

"Ya' think?" Rosalie snarked, softening it with a grin. "That boy'll be the death of me, yet."

Jasper arrived at the table, a cup of cola in his hand for Alice. "Here ya' are, Ma'am." he handed it to her with a bow and she giggled, her eyes sparkling at his silliness. He took a seat next to her and leaned into her neck, inhaling her scent.

"Mmmmmm..." he purred, low in his throat.

"Hey!" Edward exclaimed. "I'm the vamp here. Keep away from the lady's neck."

Jasper sent him a deadly look. "You've got your own. This here little treat's all mine."

With that, he bent to nibble at her neck and Alice squealed before breaking into giggles. Jasper sat up licking his lips.

"Mmmmmmm... sweet!" he grinned at Edward, who shook his head, laughing at his friend.

"You're a nut, Jas." he told him, still chuckling at Jasper's antics.

Alice felt all warm and glowing as her friends played and laughed around her. Sir James walked up, Lady Angela on his arm and seated her with a flourish of his sword before taking a seat himself.

"Here ye'! Here ye'!" he called, gesturing with his thumb over his shoulder. "Me think-eth that Superman is-eth extremely hyper-eth this eve."

The friends all laughed as they watched Emmett dancing like a maniac on the dance floor. Some of the younger girls were dancing around him, giggling at his moves and Rosalie shook her head.

"That idiot." she said, rolling her eyes. "Now he'll have every little freshman mooning over him for the rest of the 'll all be thinking that they'll be the one to steal him away from me."

They laughed, some of them nodding their heads along with her but Angela couldn't resist teasing her.

"Maybe one of them will, Rose. You better watch out." she taunted, a big smile on her face.

Rosalie tossed her hair and looked down her nose at her. "Ha! That boy would be lost without me."

Then she pretended to look worried. "But, just in case, I'll see ya' later." she grinned as she jumped up and 'flew' over to Emmett and proceeded to show his fans why he was all hers.

"Ha!" Edward laughed, giving Jasper a knowing smile. "Like Rose ever has to worry about Emmett, right, Jas?"

Jasper joined in his laughter with a nod. He'd been kicked out of his and Emmett's room just about every weekend since school had started. Thank God Edward and James had let him bunk with them.

Thickening his southern twang, Jasper drawled, "Right ya' are, son. That boy's so whooped, he's stuck worse than a horse fly drownin' in a pitcher o' butter milk."

The rest of the table groaned at his lame attempt at a southern cliché and he looked around at them with a scowl.

"Hey! Ya'll are talkin' to a gen-u-wine southern gentleman here. I should challenge all ya'll ta' a duel."

He stood up and pulled out his plastic sword, pointing it at each boy in turn. Alice rolled her eyes and the girls all giggled.

Then James stood up and swung his knightly broad sword around a few times. "I'll take that challenge, my good man."

He and Jasper proceeding to have a sword fight right where they stood.

Alice groaned and put her head in her hand. "What is it about boys and swords?"

"I don't know," Edward said. "but I want one, too!"

He stood up and grabbed a wooden spoon off of a nearby table. "En garde!" he called, joining in the fight and the girls burst out laughing.

"Oh my God, you guys!" Bella laughed. "Knock it off."

The girls continued to giggle as the boys complained about the girls' lack of awe at their sword fighting skills. Just as they all took their seats again, Superman finally decided he needed a break.

"Wow!" Emmett said as he swung his chair around and straddled it. "I'm bushed!"

Rose sat down next to him and laughed. "You should be! You've been dancing for over two hours straight. You wore me out!" she slumped exhausted, in her chair.

Emmett put his hand up to his mouth like he was telling them a secret but said loud enough for everyone to hear, "That's exactly what she says in bed!"

Rosalie looked outraged and sat up quickly so she could smack him in the back of the head. "Emmett!"

Everyone laughed and Emmett grinned as he kissed up Rosalie's hand and arm. She shook her head at him but smiled in spite of herself.

As the night wore down, Jasper held Alice in his arms while they danced to a slow ballad.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight, Ma'am?" he drawled, playing up his gentlemanly soldier role. Alice grinned up at him, her happiness shining from her entire face.

"Well, thank you kindly, sir." she gushed, her pale pink hoop skirt swinging around her as they danced. "You surely are a smooth talkin' gentleman."

"Only when I see overwhelming beauty such as yours, my delicate flower." Alice blushed, loving his silliness and the way he was looking at her.

Soon, the dance was over and the teachers shooed the students off to bed. The group of friends walked toward the dorms, chatting and laughing together. The night air was chilly and Alice shivered. Her dress left her shoulders, arms and upper chest bare and she wished she'd brought a sweater. She sensed Jasper slow next to her and looked over to see him taking off his jacket. She smiled sweetly at him as he draped it around her shoulders and she reveled in the warmth that clung to it from his body.

"Ali? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Bella was nervous as she pulled Alice aside. "I wanted to let you know, I'm not going to be home tonight."

Alice looked at her with a puzzled frown. "What do you mean? Why not?"

Bella blushed and embarrassment shown in her eyes as they met Alice's.

"Oh. Oh!" Alice exclaimed as understanding dawned on her. "Bella, are you sure? Isn't it awfully soon?"

Bella smiled sheepishly and glanced toward Edward who was chatting with Jasper. "Do you think so? I really... want to."

Alice chewed her lip and watched Bella watch Edward. She saw Edward glance over at them and her worry melted away. It was clear to anyone who knew him that Edward was totally in love with Bella. Who was she to question them?

Putting her hand on Bella's arm, she gave her a supportive smile. "You do what's right for you, Bella. No one is here to judge you. Just be careful, okay?"

Bella nodded and gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Ali. You're a really good friend."

They walked back over to the boys and Edward looked at Alice with a question on his face. Alice smiled at him and he put his arm around Bella and kissed her cheek. As they continued to walk, Edward kept soothing Bella with kisses and whispered words. Up ahead, Emmett and Rosalie couldn't keep their hands off of each other and it was clear that they were sneaking off together, too.

Alice was a little embarrassed as they walked along. She slid a glance over to see Jasper staring at her, his eyes glowing. She swallowed nervously and looked ahead again. They'd spent a lot of time kissing but Jasper had never even tried to go any further. She'd been thinking a lot about doing more but she didn't want to rush anything. She'd never had a boy interested in her before and she wasn't very confident in that area.

She saw James and Angela off in the shadow of the boys' dorm. They were kissing and James had her pressed up against the building. It seemed everyone had additional plans for the night. She wasn't worried about them. Rosalie and Angela had stayed over with their boyfriends many times. Now Bella was going to stay over with Edward making her the last hold-out in their group. She looked up at Jasper again as he continued to chat with Edward. She wondered if he'd slept with anyone before. Giving herself a mental shake, she chided herself at her ignorance. Of course Jasper wasn't a virgin. All you had to do was look at him to know he could have any girl he wanted. The question was, would he still want her if she wasn't ready to sleep with him any time soon?

Alice chewed her lip, a worried frown marring her forehead and chanced a glance at Jasper again. He was looking straight ahead and laughed at something Emmett said. He looked down when he noticed her watching him and grinned adorably at her.

"Whatcha' thinkin' about, darlin'?" he asked her, giving her hand a squeeze.

Alice blushed and looked down. "Nothing." she muttered, causing Jasper to bend toward her to hear.

"What was that?" he watched her intently in the soft light of the lamps along the walk.

She raised her eyes and gave him a small smile. "I said, 'nothing'."

He rolled his eyes and grinned at her, snaking his arm around her to hug her against his side. They reached the boys' dorm and Emmett went inside to open the back door for Bella and Rose. Edward raised his eyebrows at Jasper.

"Uh... Where you sleeping tonight, Jas?" he looked a little ashamed as his gaze flicked over to Alice. She felt her face heat up and looked down at the ground.

"Oh, yeah." Jasper said, realizing that, not only was he kicked out of his room, he couldn't stay with Edward, either. "I'll see if I can stay with someone. Where's James sleeping?"

Edward's eyes slid to Alice again and then back to Jasper. "Uh... he and Angela are using Jacob's room since he and Seth went home for the weekend.

_ "Was this a set-up?"_ she wondered. _"Had the boys planned this so that Alice would feel obligated to sleep with Jasper?"_ she raised her eyes back up and realized that she'd missed what was being said.

"I feel bad, ya' know? Emmett could've waited so that you'd have a place to sleep. Maybe Bella and I can wait until tomorrow night?" Edward offered.

"Don't worry about it, Ed. Rose and Emmett will probably be in our room tomorrow night, too. I'll walk Ali home and then pass out on the couch in the lounge. It's not a big deal."

Edward shook his head. "Naw, that wouldn't be fair. I'll go get Bella."

Alice cleared her throat, her face heating painfully. "Uh... he can... he can sleep in my room."

When both boys looked at her in surprise, she quickly amended her suggestion. "I mean... in Bella's bed."

Edward nodded, looking thoughtful but Jasper was staring at her intently. He slowly shook his head.

"No, that's all right, sugar. I don't want to make you uncomfortable." he told her but Alice just looked over at Edward and nodded. "Go. Have fun."

Then, before he could move away, she gave him a serious look. "Be gentle, Edward and treat her right."

Edward grinned and waved as he started moving toward the building. "I will, Ali. Thanks."

Alice looked up at Jasper who was scowling at her. _"Now what did I do?"_ she wondered.

"I don't think it's a good idea for me to stay in your room, Ali. The dorm monitors are a lot more diligent in your dorm than they are in ours. Besides, I know it'll make you uncomfortable and I don't want you to feel any discomfort."

Alice put a gentle hand on his arm. "Jas, it's all right." she assured him. "I trust you. You'll be more comfortable in Bella's bed and we can spend some more time together. It'll be fine."

They made their way to the girls' dorm and Jasper kept his arm around Alice to keep her warm. He could feel her trembling but he didn't know what to do to reassure her that he wouldn't pressure her.

Once they reached the dorm, Jasper paused outside the door and leaned over to give Alice a kiss. "If you're sure you're okay with it, I'll be waiting in the bushes by the back door."

Alice nodded. "I'm fine. I'll let Lauren see me go into my room and then I'll sneak back down. She's not that observant anyway. I don't think she really cares, one way or the other. She just likes the power of being a monitor."

Jasper searched her eyes. Finally, he agreed. "Okay. If you're sure."

She smiled lovingly up at him. "I am."

With a big grin, Jasper gave her a peck on the cheek and opened the heavy door for her. Shutting it behind her, he started moving slowly down the walk in the direction of the boys' dorm. When he was sure no one was around, he doubled back and traveled the shadows to the back door. Sliding into the tall bushes that surrounded the building, he waited gleefully for Alice to let him in.

The pit of Alice's stomach felt like it had a million butterflies in it as she walked down the hall. She waved at Lauren when she spotted her and went into her room. She wanted nothing more than to spend more time with Jasper but she was so afraid that he'd expect more now that they'd be totally alone. She decided to get out of her costume while she waited to go down to let him in but, too late, she realized that she couldn't undo the fasteners down the back by herself.

"Great." she moaned. Now Jasper would have to help her with her dress. This looked more and more like a set-up to her and she prayed that she was wrong. She really wished she could trust him but, regardless of what she'd told him, she still wasn't sure she could. Quickly changing the sheets on Bella's bed, Alice figured that enough time had passed and she peeked cautiously out into the corridor. Not seeing or hearing anyone, she crept down the stairs and made her way to the back door. She shoved the door with all her might and it made a small creaking noise as it finally opened on it's ancient hinges.

"Jas?" she called in a whisper. "You out here?" She jumped slightly when he materialized out of the darkness.

"Shhhhhhhhhhh. I'm here." he called softly, the cute grin on his face partly shadowed by the hat he still wore. Alice stifled a giggle as she let him in and they made their way quietly back to her room.

Once they were in her room, Alice felt fire on her face. She chanced a glance at Jasper and he grinned at her.

"There's nothing to be nervous about, darlin'. I don't expect anything and I'm only here because I wanna' spend time with you. I can sleep in the lounge if you've changed your mind."

She shook her head. "No, It's fine."

The fire on her face burned brighter, though. "There is one thing..." Alice trailed off, looking everywhere but at him. "I can't... undo my dress... by myself."

Jasper chuckled as he set his hat and play sword on Alice's desk and came over to unfasten her dress. "Silly girl. That's nothing to be embarrassed about. I've seen you in your bathing suit and it's a lot less fabric than this dress."

Alice giggled and nodded. "Okay, you got me there. It's just... different."

He chuckled again. "I understand."

He undid the last hook and stepped back. "There. All done. How about I go take a quick shower while you undress. Would that be okay? This costume is really hot."

Alice nodded trying not to think about Jasper naked in her bathroom. "That's okay. There are towels on the shelf."

"Thanks, darlin'. It's a good thing you girls each have your own bathrooms, huh? I'd look pretty funny trying to sneak down the hall from the community bath like we have." he chuckled as he went into the bathroom and looked over his shoulder. "Call me if you need any more help. I'll be out in a few minutes."

As soon as he closed the door, Alice yanked her dress and undergarments off and grabbed some pajamas. She dressed in record time and breathed a sigh of relief that she was fully dressed and he was still in the shower. She could hear the water running and again tried not to picture him without his clothes on. She licked her suddenly dry lips and wiped her sweaty palms on her silky pajama pants.

The bathroom door opened abruptly and Jasper came out in his boxers and t-shirt. "Uh... is it all right if I sleep like this?" he asked sheepishly. "I didn't think about bringing something to sleep in."

Alice nodded, her face bright red. "Yes, that's fine." she pointed at Bella's bed as she walked past him into the bathroom. "Make yourself comfortable. I already changed Bella's sheets. I'll be out in a minute."

In the bathroom, Alice looked at herself in the mirror. _If he attempted anything, was she ready? _She brushed her teeth and washed her face, her hands slightly shaking. Running a brush through her hair, she decided that she'd just have to wait and see.

Walking out of the bathroom, she smiled as Jasper stood up off of Bella's bed. He tried to find a place to put his hands and appeared as nervous as she was. Alice giggled at him and he grinned, his whole body relaxing.

"Wanna' watch TV?" he asked her, still grinning. "It would be great to just cuddle without an audience, wouldn't it."

Alice nodded happily and beckoned him to her bed. Once they were settled on her bed, she handed Jasper the remote. "Ha! I've got you trained already." he gloated, smirking at her as he held up the remote.

She laughed and smacked his chest. "Don't be an ass, Jasper Whitlock. I'm just trying to be a good hostess."

The next thing they knew, they were tickling each other and wrestling around. Breathless from giggling, Alice smiled up into Jasper's eyes and, though he tried to smile back, his eyes were intense on hers. She swallowed nervously at his look and he focused on her lips.

"Can I kiss you, Ali?" he asked gently, gazing from her lips to her eyes and back again.

Alice nodded and Jasper bent forward to lightly place his lips against hers. Soon, they were making out intensely and the TV was forgotten. Jasper lay half on top of her, his body hot and hard against hers and a fire seemed to burn low in Alice's belly. She moaned into Jasper's mouth and tangled her fingers in his damp hair. She could feel the heat pouring off of him and she arched to press herself against him fully. She heard him groan as her breasts flattened against his chest and she felt him shift his lower body slightly away from her. She whimpered in protest at the loss of his heat and her body moved on its own to gain it back. The pleasure coursing through her was almost overwhelming but she was acting on pure instinct now and the outcome, be damned.

~play the game~

A shiver ran through Jasper as he slid his lips along Alice's jaw to the satin below her ear. God, she was so sweet and he ached for her. He could feel her heat against him and he wanted so badly to hold her naked body against his. He didn't want to frighten her, though, so he shifted away as he continued to nuzzle her silky throat. Alice let out a small whimper and he swallowed thickly as he fought to control himself. He groaned low in his chest when Alice pressed herself against him again. He knew she didn't realize what she was doing but they had to stop soon or he'd humiliate himself.

_ Just a little longer... _She felt so good and he'd never been able to hold her like this before.

Another little whimper escaped from between Alice's parted lips and Jasper jerked away from her neck. Untangling her fingers from his hair, he sat up and tried to catch his breath. A noise of complaint came from Alice as she sat up to try and pull him back to her. He pushed her hands away and watched as awareness came back into her face.

She looked into his eyes and then blushed and looked away. She mumbled something he couldn't understand and started to crawl off the bed. He grabbed her and pulled her back against his chest. She tried to push him away but he held on until she looked up at him again. He could see the sadness in her gaze and he wanted her to know how badly she'd affected him.

"Ali. Ali, listen to me." he implored, holding onto her tightly. "I have to stop. If we keep going, I don't know if I'll be able to."

He groaned at the hurt look she gave him. He shook his head, she had no idea. "You don't know what you're doing to me, do you?"

He captured her hand in his and squeezed his eyes shut as he brought it to the juncture of his thighs. At her sharp intake of breath, he gently lay their combined hands against the hottest part of him. He waited for her reaction and, when she didn't move, he cracked an eye open to look at her. A huge grin creased his face at her expression and he crushed her to his chest again. God, he loved her.

Alice was thrilled with Jasper's reaction to her. She'd never felt so powerful or so close to another person before. A look of wonder spread over her face and, when Jasper opened his eye to peek at her, it was replaced with one of glee. She laughed out loud when he grinned and she found herself smashed against his chest. Pushing him away, she raised up to kiss him passionately and she smiled against his lips when he groaned. "Alice."

In answer, she cupped the back of his head and ran her tongue teasingly from one corner of his lips to the other.

"Oh, God." he moaned and plunged his tongue into her mouth, yanking her so tightly to his chest that she couldn't breath for a second. He continued to plunder her mouth as she ran her small hands urgently over his chest and shoulders. When she put her hands up under his t-shirt to touch his bare abdomen, he turned them so that Alice was on her back once more. She looked up at Jasper hovering over her and felt like she'd received a punch to her gut when she saw the fire in his eyes. Heat and moisture emanated from between her legs and her body arched seeking contact with his.

"Jasper." she moaned, still seeking something beyond her reach. "Jasper."

"I'm here, darlin'." he breathed into her neck. Hot, panting breaths heated her skin and she rubbed herself against him again.

"Please. Jasper, please." she thrashed her head on the pillow, her hair spread around her like a halo.

A tortured groan broke from him and he buried his face in her wild hair. "Ali, I need to touch you. Please... tell me it's okay... let me touch you."

"Yes." she murmured, the heated ache almost unbearable now. "Yes."

Air hissed from between her lips as she felt a large, warm hand ghost up under her shirt. Her body arched almost in half when he cupped her breast, the thumb stroking her sensitive nipple.

"Oh, God. So soft. Wanted to touch you... for so long..." Jasper's moist breath on her neck sent shivers over her heated skin and Alice trembled, the material of her pants soaked with her need. She squirmed beneath him wanting more and Jasper obliged. Skimming his big hand back down along her ribs, Jasper undid the tie on her pants and slid under the waistband. He kept his mouth on her throat, both their breath coming in shallow pants, and parted her legs with his knee. Groaning at the feel of her damp curls against his fingertips, he attacked her mouth and dipped in to stroke her scorching wet flesh.

Alice almost came up off the bed at the feel of him touching her so intimately. She tore her mouth out from under his and clamped her hands over his shoulders. Hanging on for dear life, she sucked onto the side of his neck, little whimpers coming from between her lips and he grinned into the top of her head.

"Jasper. Jasper." she sobbed, arching and squirming in turns. He continued to tease and torment her until he felt her begin to pulse against his fingers. Gently pushing into her with one long finger, he stroked her inside and out, her sobs coming faster now. He winced as she bit into his neck, a harsh, keening cry seeping into his very blood. She arched under him, almost causing him to lose control of himself and sobbed out his name again. Finally, she collapsed onto the bed and a breathless sigh trickled from between her swollen lips.

Jasper grinned again, loving the way she'd let go. He couldn't believe all that passion had come from his timid little Ali. His cock throbbed as thoughts of the strength of her release surged through him. He needed to think of something else and started to move off of her. He looked down in surprise when he felt two small, shapely legs wrap themselves around his waist.

Alice smiled timidly up at him and he grinned. She was too damn cute for words and his love for her made his heart pound harder. His grin turning into a wolfish leer, he wiggled his eyebrows at her and laughed when a dark blush stained her already red cheeks.

Setting his forehead to hers he let his eyes roam her face. "I love you so, so much."

She smiled in pure pleasure and tightened her legs. Giving her a warning look, Jasper shook his head and put his hands behind his back to loosen them from around him. Pulling them away, he shook his head again and attempted to let her down gently.

"No, Ali. You're not ready and I don't have any protection with me." He tried to do the gentlemanly thing but he was already on the edge and she was very beguiling.

Alice sunk her fingers in his hair and brought her mouth up to his. To his credit, he tried valiantly to resist but she was determined and he found himself peeling her pants down her legs. His eyes lit on the dark curls hiding her from his view and he moved up to push the shirt over her head. Her eyes gleamed up at him as he took in her generous curves and satiny skin. Her flushed face and shiny hair added to the beautiful picture she made and he wondered briefly what he'd ever done to deserve this. He focused in on her lips and covered her mouth once more. Low groans escaped him and he knew he couldn't wait much longer. He dreaded hurting her but the little noises she was making threatened to send him flying without her.

Alice felt Jasper's hardness against her thigh. She was a little nervous about what was going to happen next but so far, everything they'd done had been amazing. Besides, they loved each other and she wanted to give him pleasure like he'd given to her. She let out the breath she'd been holding and tried to relax. She smiled up at him and he leaned down to kiss her. He began to make little growling noises and the fluttery feeling began in her belly again. She kissed him back with all the love she felt and gasped when he began to fondle her breasts. She loved the feel of his hard chest against her naked skin and wished he would've taken off his shirt. She let out a small huffing noise and Jasper opened his eyes to look at her.

"I want your shirt off." she managed from beneath his lips. She felt them quirk and he pulled back to rip his shirt over his head. Alice giggled but he quickly muffled it with his mouth and put both of his knees between hers. Panic rippled through her as he spread her legs with his hips but she tried to focus on his mouth and hands, instead of what was going on down below. If she thought about it too much, she was afraid she'd lose her nerve and she didn't want to do that to him.

A frenzy of lust surged through Jasper as he pulled his shirt over his head. He ached to feel Alice's plump breasts against his bare skin. He fastened his mouth to hers once more and groaned at the feel of her pebbled nipples brushing the fine hairs on his chest. Placing his knees between her legs, he spread her wide and filled the palm of his hand with her silky curves. Prodding her with the the tip of his length, he gasped at how hot she felt. He felt a tightening low in his belly and he moved his mouth to the top of her head. She was so small he'd have to bend practically in half to reach her nipple with his mouth while he made love to her.

Burying his face in her hair, he entered her slowly. He felt her stiffen and he drew in a deep breath. He knew there was no way to do this without hurting her but he wanted to try and spare her as much as possible. He felt a pulsing sensation move down his shaft and he knew he was close. Tensing his hips, he bit his lip and surged forward. Alice cried out and he growled as he buried himself in her clenching heat. She was so tight he almost lost it right there until she began to cry and attempted to squirm out from under him.

"Shhhhhh... darlin', I'm so sorry." He nuzzled her ear and soothed her with his hands on her face and hair. "I'm so sorry, Ali. I love you. I didn't want to hurt you."

She quieted, only making small sniffling sounds and Jasper continued to whisper soothingly to her, kissing the tears from her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. Please don't cry. I love you so much, Ali. Don't cry, darlin'. I'm so sorry." he kissed her gently and she began to kiss him back. He lowered his hand to softly stroke her and she wiggled against him causing him to fight the urge to pound into her. He gritted his teeth and felt moisture flood over his fingers. Soon, she was arching into his hand and panting into the curve of his neck. He felt her begin to tighten around him and he started to move in and out of her. She clung to him, her breath dampening his neck and his fingers flew over her small, drenched nub.

"Oh, Jas. Jas. Oh. My God!" she cried out and he put both hands under her butt as he pumped closer to his climax. A harsh growl escaped from between his gritted teeth and he used ever ounce of control he had to pull out of paradise. Spilling himself onto her stomach, Jasper collapsed with a groan. He felt boneless and knew somewhere in the back of his mind that he was crushing her, but he couldn't seem to make his body move.

Alice sighed happily as she lay snuggled in Jasper's arms. She felt loved and cherished as she thought back over their night together. After Jasper had been able to move off of her, he'd kissed her and cuddled her and reassured her. He'd apologized again and again for hurting her and felt so bad for making her cry. Then he'd gotten up and run a warm bubble bath for her. When he'd settled her in the scented water, he'd washed her, dried her off and lovingly dressed her before placing her gently back in her bed. He'd cleaned himself up, dressed and then asked her if she wanted him with her or if she wanted him to sleep in Bella's bed. When she'd shyly patted the bed next to her, he'd grinned adorably and climbed in. Now she sighed with complete contentment, feeling it couldn't have gone any better and she'd never been happier. She imagined the next months with Jasper in blissful anticipation, refusing to think about them ever being apart again. She smiled as he placed a sweet kiss on the top of her head. With another small sigh, she closed her eyes and fell into a heavy sleep.

~play the game~

"Damn! I hate Thanksgiving." James grouched as he packed his bag the Saturday morning before the big event.

"Why?" Emmett demanded, looking at him in disbelief. "Thanksgiving is the best! All that food... the football games... all that food... "

James laughed, in spite of his mood but quickly began to complain again. "Well, of course, I like that stuff. I'm just going to miss Angie. Ten days is way too long to be apart from her."

"Ha!" Emmett gloated, leaving his own bag on the floor by the door. "Now who's whooped?" he laughed and poked at James. "I remember you assholes giving me shit about being whooped by Rose, now look at you. Every damn one of you is whooped way worse than me!"

Emmett kept laughing as he lay down on Edward's bed and James scowled at him. There was a sound at the door and Edward and Jasper walked in.

"What's so funny?" Jasper asked, sitting down on the edge of James' bed.

"James here is crying over being away from Angie for ten, whole days." Emmett taunted, still laughing.

"Well, I haven't been apart from her for over two months straight." James defended himself. "It'll be weird not seeing her for that long."

Edward nodded looking forlorn as he plopped down at his desk. "I know what you mean. I'm gonna' miss Bella something fierce." he sighed and looked at his friends, disappointed faces all around.

"Yeah, wait until Christmas." Emmett said, now as sober as the rest of his buddies. "Three weeks without the girls. That's gonna' really suck!"

The four of them sat there, all of them feeling their loss. Finally, Edward stood and cleared his throat.

"Well, we better get going, James." he said, slowly walking to the door. "If we want a few minutes with the girls before we head out, we gotta' go now. It's gonna' be a long drive home."

"Yeah." James agreed, picking up his bag and giving Emmett and Jasper a quick handshake. "Take care, guys. We'll see you in ten days."

"Okay. You guys drive carefully." Jasper told them sadly. "See you in ten."

"Happy Thanksgiving, guys." Emmett called as they walked out the door.

Emmett looked at Jasper, then sat next to him on the edge of the bed.

"You never thought you'd see the day when you got all choked up over not seeing some girl, huh, Jas?"

Jasper nodded, looking up at Emmett. "Yeah, very weird." he sighed and slumped, his elbows on his knees. "This trip is gonna' be especially bad cuz I'm gonna' break up with Maria, too."

Emmett looked surprised. "You haven't broken up with her, yet?" he asked.

"No. I didn't want to do it over the phone." Jasper said, leaning his chin on his hands.

"Man, Jas." Emmett commented, looking concerned. "Does Ali know about Maria?"

Jasper looked up at him, sitting up abruptly. "No. Do you think I should've told her?"

Emmett ran his hand through his hair. "Well, I don't know. I think Rose would kick my ass if I didn't tell her something like that, but Ali's different. She's a lot sweeter and more understanding than Rose. Maybe she won't think anything about it."

Jasper looked worried and stared at Emmett. "Do you think I should tell her before I leave?"

Emmett looked at him thoughtfully. "Naw. I think it'll just make her worry, is all." then he laughed. "Besides, that plan her and the other girls had against you, was worse than you not telling her about Maria."

Jasper looked puzzled. "Huh? What plan?"

Emmett looked like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Uhhhh... she never... uh... told you about that, huh?" he ran his hand through his hair again. "Well... uh... maybe I should let her tell you."

Jasper looked irritated. "Emmett, just tell me already."

Emmett looked worried, but he felt he had to tell him now. "Ali didn't think she could trust you, you know, after you were mean to her, and all?"

Jasper winced remembering how he'd treated Alice the first month he'd been here. He nodded at Emmett to go on.

"Well, when you started paying attention to Ali and being nice to her, she thought you were going to... well... play a trick on her."

"A trick?" Jasper was confused.

"Yeah, you know... a game... pretend to like her and then, when she liked you back, you'd dump her in front of the whole school and tell her you were just pretending." Emmett told him, standing up to grab his bag. "The ultimate humiliation."

Guilt showed heavy on Jasper's face. He felt so bad for acting the way he had toward Alice. He couldn't believe that she'd actually forgiven him.

"Then the girls... well, they decided to give you a taste of your own medicine. Ali was to pretend to fall in love with you, then, when everyone believed you were a couple, she was going to publicly humiliate _you_ in front of everyone." Emmett continued hesitantly, tossing his bag from one hand to the other, watching for Jasper's reaction.

Jasper looked shocked, then his face twisted in anger. "You mean to tell me that the only reason she went out with me, was to get even with me?"

Emmett grinned sheepishly. "Well, yeah... but it's all good now, right?"

Jasper looked ready to spit nails and Emmett's grin disappeared.

"Jas, man... it was no big deal." Emmett tried to soothe him. "Ali's not like that, you know that. She just went along with what the other girls were planning."

"It doesn't matter, Em." Jasper insisted, his anger palpable. "She should've told me. I've apologized to her a million times and tried to make it up to her every way I can think of. All this time she's been planning to make me the laughingstock of the school." he shook his head, his hands clenched into fists. "She's not the girl I thought she was. Do I even know the real Alice?"

Emmett stood there with his mouth hanging open. He knew he'd made a major mistake and he didn't know how to fix it.

"Jas! Jas... man... she's a sweetheart. You know that! She wouldn't hurt a fly." Emmett turned Jasper to face him. "Listen to me, man. She never would've gone through with it. Alice loves you. You know she does. I've never seen her so happy."

"Does she?" Jasper snarled at Emmett. "Or is she just happy because her plan is working so well. I told her I love her, Emmett!" Jasper bit out, rage tearing through him as well as physical pain. "Damn it! I walked right into her little scheme."

Jasper ran his hair through his hair and clutched at the back of his neck. He paced the room, his eyes glittering with agitation.

"God damn her!" he finally snarled, smacking his hand on the door frame. "God damn her to hell!"

He looked over at Emmett one last time, nodded and stormed from the room.

Emmett stood rooted in the middle of the floor. He'd blown it big time, he knew, but how the hell did he make it right? Not only was Jasper furious, but Alice was going to be devastated. And Rose! Holy shit! Rosalie was gonna' have his balls.

"I can't believe he left without saying goodbye." Alice said for the tenth or eleventh time. She'd come bouncing out of the building, expecting Jasper to be waiting for her but he hadn't been there. She'd thought that maybe he was still getting his stuff together so she'd waited for over a half an hour before going over to the boys' dorms, only to discover his motorcycle was gone.

Walking slowly back to her dorm, she'd run a dozen different reasons through her mind for his bike to be gone, but none of them made any sense. When Bella came back to their room to get her stuff, Alice asked her if anyone had said anything about Jasper leaving. Bella had been confused and said that Edward had just seen Emmett and Jasper in the dorm before he'd met with her. She said she knew that Emmett was gone already because she'd seen him and Rosalie leave when she was saying goodbye to Edward, but she hadn't seen Jasper at all.

Alice smiled and shrugged her shoulders but inside she was crying her eyes out. In her heart, she knew something was wrong and she wouldn't know what until she had a chance to talk to Jasper. She thought about calling him on his cell phone but then remembered that he wouldn't be able to answer it while driving his bike. Once he was on the plane, his cell would be off. Figuring that she'd just call him when she got home, she took her stuff downstairs to wait for her cab. She hadn't been looking forward to being away from him even though she'd been looking forward to seeing her mom and dad. Now, a sense of foreboding hung over her and she didn't want to go home at all.

Alice lay on her bed praying for her phone to ring. She'd called Jasper at least fifteen times already in the three days she'd been home. He'd never called her back. She figured he was busy with his family and friends but surely he'd have a few minutes to call her back. She'd left messages, some pleading for him to call her, worry in her voice, but so far, nothing. To make matters worse, her parents weren't even home. They'd gone off to some convention in Atlanta and wouldn't be home until the night before Thanksgiving. She'd left for home on Saturday and it was only Tuesday, so she had another day before she'd see her parents. As far as she knew, none of her other family was coming, either, so it would just be the three of them.

Sighing heavily, Alice got out her laptop and decided to see if anything was happening on the Internet. After twenty minutes, she gave up. None of her friends were online and there didn't seem to be anything interesting to lose herself in. She logged off and put the computer away, saying another prayer that Jasper would call soon.

Thanksgiving dinner was a somber affair. Alice's parents were happy to see her but had gone off to do their own thing soon after arriving home. Now the three of them sat making idle conversation as they enjoyed the fabulous Thanksgiving spread their cook had prepared.

"So, Alice, you've made a lot of new friends this year, huh?" her father asked, feigning interest.

Alice nodded. "Yes. I'm still friends with my old ones, too."

"You must be very popular then, my dear." her mother commented, taking a drink of her wine.

Alice hesitated, then nodded. "I suppose." she offered. "I do know just about everyone."

"Well, that's good. It's always good to be popular with your peers. It makes life so much more worthwhile." her mother told her with a sigh. "I was the most popular girl in my class all through school." she waved her hand nonchalantly. "You've got to have confidence, that's what matters."

Alice just looked at her mom blankly. Did the woman even know what she was talking about? It was easy to be confident when you were tall, thin and gorgeous. What about when you were only short, curvy and cute?

Her head swiveled to her dad as he admonished her mom for her comments.

"Mary, you know there's more to life than that." she smiled softly at her dad. At least one of her parents lived in the real world. Then he ruined it with the next sentence. "Money is important, as well. Without money, all that confidence and popularity will only get you so far."

Alice's mother nodded. "True... true..." she agreed, smiling from her husband to her daughter before taking another sip of her wine.

Alice stared at both of them for a minute. Did they really believe what they were saying?

"What's wrong, darling?" her mother asked, noticing that Alice wasn't eating. "Aren't you hungry?"

Alice looked down at her plate as if in a dream. Looking back up at her parents, she shook her head. "No, not really. I've lost my appetite. May I be excused?"

"But Alice, it's Thanksgiving." her mother insisted, looking to her husband for support.

"If the child isn't hungry, let her go." Alice's father insisted as he looked at his wife. "She'll just get fat if she eats when she isn't hungry."

Once her mom nodded her agreement, Alice bolted for the stairs up to her room. She couldn't wait to get back to school. She missed her friends, she missed her dorm room and, most of all, she missed Jasper. She still couldn't understand why he hadn't called her but she was sure he'd have a really good reason when they got back to school.

The rest of the week passed slowly but soon, it was time to head back to school. Alice kissed her parents goodbye as her dad's car pulled up and his driver took her to the airport. Butterflies flew around in Alice's stomach the entire flight and, by the time she reached the school, she was a nervous wreck. She searched the parking lot for Jasper's motorcycle, but it wasn't there. She knew his plane should've landed almost two hours earlier than hers so maybe he was delayed somehow. She went to her room to unpack her bag and waited impatiently for someone to show up. After almost an hour, she was still alone, so she decided to go down to the Community Center.

Walking in the opposite direction so she could check out the parking lot once again, she saw that Emmett's Jeep was there, but still no Jasper. She pivoted on her heel and walked to the Center.

"Alice!" Rosalie called out as she spotted Alice coming in the door. "You're back! How was your Thanksgiving?"

Alice smiled and waved as she headed in Rose's direction. Rose ran toward her, her face excited and happy.

"Hi, Rose." Alice greeted her. "I had a... nice time. How about you?"

"I had a great time! All my family were there and Emmett came down the day after to spend the weekend with us. My parents just love him, you know? If we broke up, I think they would still invite him to visit."

Emmett walked up behind her and put his arm around her. "No chance of that, Babe. You ain't getting rid of me that easy."

Rosalie turned and grinned at him. He gave her a squeeze and looked at Alice.

"So, Ali, how was your trip home?" Emmett asked her, looking around the room.

"Uh... it was... good." she told him, wondering what he was looking for. He looked back at her, his face puzzled.

"Where's Jas? He not back yet?"

Alice shrugged her shoulders. "I guess not." she gave him a happy smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "His motorcycle wasn't in the lot."

Emmett looked at Rosalie, his brows raised. "I thought he was supposed to be back this morning?"

Rosalie shrugged, too. "I thought so, too." she looked at Alice again. "What did he say when you talked to him?"

Alice looked down at her feet. "I... I haven't talked to him since... before we... left."

"Alice, why not?" Rose demanded, her hands on her hips. "That's just rude. You could've called him at least once."

Alice glanced up at her, blinking furiously. "I tried... several times. He never... called me back."

Emmett cleared his throat and Rosalie's face went blank. "Oh... well, maybe he's just been... you know... really busy?"

"Yeah... probably." Alice agreed, both girls giving each other false smiles.

~play the game~

"Oh, God... Maria..." Jasper groaned as he slid into her wet warmth again and again. "I'll miss you so much."

Maria peppered his face with frantic kisses. "I'll miss you, too, Jas."

She dug her nails into the skin of his back, urging him on, panting and moaning as he surged in and out of her. Sweat ran down his temples and made the hair on the back of his neck curl as she moved one hand up to dig her fingers through it. She locked her ankles around his waist and moved with him as a high-pitched wail left her throat.

"Oh... Jesus... Oh... " Her release hit her hard and fast, and she rode it out with her nails stuck into Jasper's back. Thin rivulets of blood joined the sweat on his skin and he winced at the sting.

"Maria, your nails..." He groaned as he tried to get her to withdraw her claws. She fell back onto the bed, her legs and hands falling, as well. Jasper pumped into her a few more times and let out a raspy moan as he let go.

"Al... " he bit his lip when he realized what he'd started to say, but Maria's eyes zoned in on his face instantly.

"What did you say?" she demanded, her eyes burning as she pushed at his shoulders with her hands.

Jasper lay on her for a minute, ignoring her question and hands. Finally, he took a deep breath and rolled off of her, covering his face with his arm.

Maria lay looking at the ceiling for a few minutes trying to get her temper under control. Sitting up, she looked down at Jasper.

"Well, are you going to answer me, or not?" She ground out, her lips drawn tight.

Jasper took his arm away from his face and looked over at her. "What, Maria?"

She glared at him but then repeated her question. "What did you say, Jasper? Tell me."

Jasper rolled his eyes. "I don't know what I said. I was just enjoying myself."

Maria got up from the bed and picked up her shirt off the floor. She stuffed her arms into the sleeves and jerked the front together to fasten the buttons. Jasper sighed and looked back up at the ceiling. Maria grabbed her panties off of the bed next to Jasper's leg and he looked over at her once more.

"Maria." he said, watching her expectantly. "What's your problem? What do you think I said?"

Maria made a huffing noise and pulled her jeans over her long legs. "I shouldn't even respond to that question, Jasper." she tossed her hair over her shoulder. "You know what you said. You started to call out another girl's name." she came back over by the side of the bed. With her hands on her hips, she glared down at the naked boy lounging in front of her.

Jasper chuckled and put his hands behind his head. "Don't be silly, Maria. Can't we just enjoy our last day together without this drama?"

"Jasper Whitlock, do not lie to me!" Maria snapped, her long, red nails biting into her palms. "I know what I heard. Are you screwing around on me?"

Jasper stood up and jerked his boxers on. "No, Maria. I'm not screwing around on you." He looked around for his t-shirt and felt Maria's nails dig into his arm. Looking back at her, he was surprised at the twisted look of anger on her face.

"You better not be. You know I'm no one to fuck with." she jabbed her fingernail into Jasper's chest, causing him to wince.

Jasper pushed her hand away. "Knock it off, Maria." he said, looking around for his shirt again. "I'm not in the mood for your shit."

Spying his t-shirt, he drew it over his head and picked up his jeans off the floor. "Why are you always such a bitch? I'm home after being away for three months and you gotta' start this up?"

Shaking with anger, Maria watched him with her hands on her hips. Sighing heavily, she sat on the edge of the bed.

"I might as well tell you this now. I was gonna' wait until you came home for Christmas but now is as good a time as any." Jasper looked at her in surprise.

"I've been... seeing someone." she told him softly, looking down at her lap.

Jasper ran his hand through his hair. "Seeing someone? You mean, fucking someone, don't you?" he growled angrily.

Maria's head came up. "No. I haven't slept with him. We've only seen each other a few times but I... like him. A lot." she watched his face intently. "I didn't plan on meeting him, Jas. It just happened.

Jasper was upset, his face hard, his eyes glittery, and Maria looked down at her lap again feeling guilty.

"Last time we talked, you were sure your dad was going to let you come home. Since he won't, I plan to keep seeing this other guy, Jas." she sighed and fiddled with the buttons on her shirt. "You'll be going off to college next fall anyway and it's not like we... love each other."

She looked up again to see him staring into space. "Jasper?"

His eyes focused on hers and she was surprised to see the hurt in them. She stood up and went over to him. "I'm sorry, Jas. I didn't mean to hurt you." she told him softly. She smoothed the hair off his forehead. "I do care about you but I can't stand being apart like this. It's not fair."

Jasper nodded his head. He'd been wrong to spend time with Maria when he was in love with Alice. Thoughts of her had driven him crazy the entire, long trip home. Once he'd landed in Texas, all he could think about was being with Maria, being with someone who wanted him, just for him but now, he realized how badly that plan had backfired.

"It's all right, Maria." Jasper assured her, moving away from her touch. "I get it. Things are different now. I shouldn't have expected things to go back the way they were."

He picked up her purse off his desk and handed it to her. "I gotta' get to the airport. Take care of yourself, okay? I'm sorry things turned out the way they did."

Maria noted the blank look in his eyes and took her purse. Nodding, she moved toward the door. "Have a safe trip back." she told him softly. "Maybe I'll see you at Christmas."

Jasper nodded, as well. "Maybe."

~play the game~

"Jas! You made it back." Emmett called when he spotted Jasper coming up the walk. "How come you're so late? I thought you were getting back this morning?"

Jasper shook his head. "I was but I had things to take care of so I changed my ticket." He shook Emmett's hand when he reached him. "How was your Thanksgiving?"

"It was great." Emmett said as he took Jasper's bag from him and they turned to go into the building. "I even got to go down and stay the weekend with Rose and her family."

Jasper smiled. "Wow! The in-laws, huh?"

Emmett grinned. "What can I say? They love me."

The two boys laughed together and walked into their room. Across the hall, Edward and James had their door open and they came out to greet their friend.

"Hey, dude!" James said as he shook Jasper's hand. "We expected you hours ago. We were getting a little worried."

"Yeah." Edward agreed. "Bella said Ali's been pacing the floor worrying about you. How come you didn't call, man?"

Jasper grimaced. "I don't think Alice is really worried about me, Ed. I'd say she's more worried about her plan not working out."

The two boys from across the hall looked puzzled but Emmett's face was full of guilt. He ran his hand through his hair and cupped the back of his neck.

"Now, Jas. I told you, Ali's crazy about you. She wasn't going to go through with it." Emmett was desperate to convince him. "She's a sweetheart. You know she'd never do anything to hurt someone on purpose."

Edward shook his head and grinned. "You mean that plan to humiliate Jasper in front of everyone?"

When Emmett nodded, Edward laughed and Jasper glared at him for laughing at his expense.

"Sorry, Jas." Edward smirked as he caught his breath. "You really don't think she would've gone through with it, do you? I know the girls were planning to set you up but, come on, Alice isn't the type to do something like that. Besides, like Emmett said, she's crazy about you."

"You knew about it, too?" Jasper asked, disbelief in his eyes. He looked between Emmett and Edward. "I can't believe neither of you told me about it."

Edward scratched the back of his neck. "Only because I knew you genuinely care about Ali. They were only going to do it if you were pulling a prank on her. Since you weren't, there was nothing to worry about."

Jasper's chest felt like there was a huge weight on it and he just gaped at Edward. How could he and Emmett think it was no big deal that Alice only went out with him to humiliate him in front of the whole school. He genuinely loved Alice and knew he'd never recover from her deception. He felt like such an ass. He'd thought Maria loved him and he'd worried about hurting her when he told her about Ali. Then he finds out that she never loved him, either and she'd broken up with him for another guy. He'd gone from having two girls to having none, all within a few days.

Jasper was brought out of his thoughts by a hard slap on the back.

"It'll be all right, Jas." Emmett told him as he slapped him on the back again. "Go talk to Ali and straighten this shit out. You'll never be happy until you fix it."

Jasper shook his head. "There's nothing to fix, Em. It's over. I'm not gonna' be with a girl who plays games, who only went out with me as an evil prank. I just can't trust her."

"Jas, you can't be serious." Edward said, concern both on his face and in his voice. "Think about what you're saying. Ali will be devastated, man. She really loves you. She's been worried sick all day."

Jasper shrugged and unzipped his bag. "Not my problem."

Edward, James and Emmett exchanged looks and Edward let out a sigh. He knew Jasper's feelings were raw right now. Once he saw Alice, maybe he'd feel differently.

"Can I at least call Bella and tell her to let Alice know you're back in one piece?"

Jasper looked up and nodded. "Sure. Tell Bella whatever you want."

Jasper went back to unpacking his bag and the other boys left the room. As soon as they were gone, Jasper's body sagged and he plopped down on the bed. His chest felt like his heart had been ripped out and he didn't know how he'd survive it.

"He's back?" Alice asked anxiously, watching Bella as she talked to Edward on her phone. Bella nodded and Alice flopped back onto her bed in relief. She still wanted to know why he'd never called her but she was content for now, just knowing he was okay.

Bella hung up the phone. Her face was pale and she wouldn't meet Alice's eyes. The feeling of dread blossomed in Alice's chest again and she thought she was going to be sick. She'd had that same feeling ever since she'd discovered that Jasper had left without saying good-bye. She watched Bella as she paced the room and then slowly turned to look over at her.

"Um... Ali?" Bella began, sorrow in her eyes. She looked away again and Alice knew it was bad.

"What happened, Bella? Is he okay? Was he in an accident?" Alice felt on the edge of panic and was barely holding it together. She twisted her hands in her lap as she waited for Bella to break the news to her.

Bella came to sit by her on the bed. "Ali, Jasper is okay. He just got back about a half an hour ago. He'd changed his ticket to come back later in the day, that's why he wasn't here this morning."

Alice sagged against Bella's side in relief.

"Oh, thank God." she breathed. "I was so worried."

Bella rubbed her back and murmured, "I know you were."

Alice sat up with a smile. "Maybe I can run over there and see him. It's not that late, I've got plenty of time." She jumped up from the bed, chuckling at herself for being such a worrywart.

Bella put her hand on Alice's arm to stop her. "Ali, don't go. I've got something else to tell you." she whispered regretfully.

Alice sat back down, the feeling of dread back in full force. "What is it, Bells?"

"Honey, Jasper doesn't want to... see you." Bella told her gently. At Alice's gasp, she continued. "He found out about our plan to humiliate him and he's really upset. That's why he didn't return any of your calls and why he left without saying good-bye. I guess Emmett accidentally told him right before he left for Thanksgiving."

Alice stared at her in horror. Her mind was all over the place but she had no idea where she was or what was going on. It was as though time had stopped and she was suspended in a nightmare, unable to wake up. Finally, her mind began to function again and panic set in.

"I have to go talk to him, Bella." Alice stated more to herself than Bella. "I know he'll understand if I explain it to him." Alice grabbed her sweater and started for the door. Bella jumped up and stopped her again.

"Ali, you can't. There's more." Alice turned to look at her, the dread turning to a numbness inside her. "The whole time he's been here, Jasper has... had a girlfriend in Texas. He never... broke up with her." at Alice's devastated look, Bella felt her own heart break for her. "I'm so sorry, Ali. I know you really care about him. I feel responsible. I'm the one that kept saying he was being sincere. I'm so sorry."

Alice felt frozen as she stumbled to her bed. She sat down slowly and just stared into space. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard.

_He'd done it. He'd actually done it. He'd fooled her into thinking that he loved her and all the time he'd had a girl back home. He had been planning to humiliate her all along and she'd fallen right into his trap. She'd even given him her virginity. What a stupid naïve fool she was. _Her heart was completely broken and all she wanted to do was crawl into her bed and never get out.

"Daddy, I'm coming home." Alice told her father the next morning. "I won't be coming back here after Christmas, either. You can hire a tutor for me or I'll go to Saint Catherine's. I really don't care either way."

Her father wanted to know why but all she would tell him was that it was personal and she didn't want to talk about it. He finally agreed and said that he would talk to the headmistress to arrange for Alice to finish out the semester early.

Hanging up the phone, Alice sighed in relief. Now she wouldn't have to see Jasper at all. She knew it was the coward's way out but she just couldn't face him. Her whole body ached with the knowledge that he'd deliberately set out to hurt her, even going so far as to tell her he loved her. She thought back to the Halloween dance when they'd had so much fun and he'd treated her like she was so precious. She'd given herself to him out of love and the whole time, he'd been playing her for a fool. Tears poured down her face and the pain was overwhelming. She hadn't slept at all last night and her throat was raw from crying.

"Good luck, Alice. I'm so sorry that you won't be able to finish out the year with us." The headmistress said as she hugged Alice good-bye. "We've enjoyed having you all these years. I really don't know what any of us will do without you."

Alice smiled at her, tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Mrs. Cullen. I'll miss all of you, too."

With one last look behind her, Alice got into the car that was taking her home. She waved as they pulled away from the curb and she let out a sigh of relief. She'd made it through the week without seeing Jasper once. All of her finals were done and she was finally on her way home. She lay back against the seat, hot tears pouring from her aching eyes.

Jasper moped in his room all day on Sunday knowing that he'd have to go to class tomorrow. He'd played sick the whole week and, though his friends all knew what was really wrong with him, Mr. Cullen wouldn't be fooled for long. The headmaster had been by to see him a few times and so had the school nurse. All he'd told them was that he must've eaten something spoiled. They could figure out what they wanted from that, he didn't really care. All he cared about was the pain he felt in his chest. He'd pretty much gotten over the fact that Alice and her friends had planned on making a fool of him. He knew that Ali really loved him and would never have gone through with it. Now, he wondered if he'd ever get over the fact that he was an ass and had cheated on her with Maria.

Running his hand through his hair, Jasper let out a sigh and looked out the window. He felt a fist to his gut as he saw Alice outside with Mrs. Cullen and a few of the teachers. It looked like they were hugging her good-bye and, before he could so much as take another breath, she got into a black car and was driven away.

"What the hell?" he backed away from the window and went out into the hallway. _Maybe Edward knew what was going on, surely Bella would've told him if something was going on with Ali._

~play the game~

"Alice, darling, I'm so sorry your father and I can't be home for Christmas. It's unfortunate that we'll be stuck here until after the new year."

Alice sighed and rolled her eyes. "It's okay, Mom. I understand."

"I'm so relieved. You know your dad and I love you very much, we're just so busy all the time but we'll make sure we're home to spend some time with you after the first."

"Sure, that would be great." she said automatically, after all, it's what her mother wanted to hear. "I'll be fine. I've got the staff here and I'm not very good company right now, any way."

"Well, since you won't tell me what's going on with you, I'll let you go. Have a nice Christmas, pet. Susan will put your gifts under the tree for you and we'll call you sometime in the afternoon."

"Okay, Mom. Have a nice Christmas. I'll talk to you then." Alice hung up the phone and tossed it on the desk. She really couldn't care less if they came home, or not. She'd basically been by herself since she'd come back home the week after Thanksgiving. All she'd done was cry and sleep, and sleep and cry. She knew she looked like hell but she really didn't care about that, either. Realistically, who was there to see her?

The next evening, Alice got a call from Bella wishing her a Merry Christmas. They chatted for a while before Bella had to go to a Christmas Eve party with her family.

"Have a nice Christmas, Ali. I'm so sorry that you'll be all alone. Are you sure you wouldn't want to fly out here for the week?"

"I'm sure. Thanks, Bella. I appreciate the invitation though. I just really don't feel like being around anyone right now."

"Well, if you change your mind, you know you're always welcome. My parents love you and so does my sister. They'd be happy to have you."

"Thanks, Bells." Alice got choked up and they said their good-byes.

Bella sighed when she heard the tears in Alice's voice. She'd tried to talk to her about Jasper but as soon as his name was mentioned, Alice would either start crying or demand that she not talk about him and threaten to hang up. All she wanted was to see Ali happy again and she knew that Jasper had the power to help with that. He was just as stubborn in his own way, though. He'd admitted that he wasn't mad about their plan any more and so she'd thought that he'd want to make things right with Alice. He'd smiled sadly and told her that things had probably worked out for the best. She'd asked him what he meant by that but all he'd said was that Ali was better off. She was so mad at the both of them that she could just spit. Edward was no help, either. He just kept telling her to let them work it out. If they wouldn't talk to each other, how would they ever work it out?

Alice set her fork down, her stomach not in the mood for food. She felt bad, she knew that Susan had gone to a lot of trouble to make her a nice meal but eating alone on Christmas Eve wasn't a very joyous occasion. She sipped her milk and decided to see if there were any old, sappy Christmas movies on TV. She rose from her chair and heard a noise by the door. Turning to look, she froze with a gasp. There, lurking in the doorway, was Jasper, a sheepish expression on his face.

"Jasper? What are you doing here?" she managed to ask through stiff lips. "How... did you get... in?"

Jasper's hungry gaze roamed over her. She was thinner than the last time he'd seen her and there were dark smudges under her dull, sad-looking eyes.

He pointed over his shoulder. "Uh... your... housekeeper let me in." he muttered, looking at the floor guiltily. "I... came to... talk to you." he met her eyes once more. "Is there somewhere we can go?"

Alice nodded, not sure of her voice and led him into the living room. "Have a seat." she offered nodding in the direction of the chairs in front of a warm fire. Sinking into one herself, she held herself rigid and bit her lip. She wouldn't cry in front of him. She refused.

Jasper looked around admiring Alice's house. "You have a really beautiful home, Ali." he told her, taking in all of the details of the room before taking a seat.

"Um... thanks." she replied distractedly, her voice raspy from crying. "What did you want to talk about, Jasper? Why aren't you home with your family? It's Christmas Eve."

Shrugging, Jasper cleared his throat a couple times. "I know, I just... I just needed to talk to you, Ali. I couldn't wait any longer."

She watched him as he just sat there, his eyes roaming over her for the longest time. Finally, she couldn't take it any more. She stood up and let out a little cough, not being able to control her tears much longer. "Well, it's getting late, Jasper. Maybe we can... talk another... time. Thanks for... uh... visiting me. I appreciate it but it's late. I'm... tired."

Alice started to walk from the room, gesturing for him to follow her. He seemed to come to his senses and jumped to his feet. Urgently, he pleaded with her to listen to him.

"Ali! Wait a minute, please?' he held out his hands in front of him, beseeching her to listen. She turned back to face him and he fiddled with the buttons on his shirt while trying to figure out where to start. He looked up to see the tears pooling in her eyes and he knew he had to make this right somehow.

"Ali? I... I'm so... sorry. I should've talked to you. I should've asked you about it. I'm a jerk. The biggest jerk ever. I... still love you... so much. I've been so... miserable... without you. C-could you... do you think you could ever... f-forgive me?"

Jasper watched as tears ran down her face and he ached to hold her in his arms. He felt helpless and searched his mind for something else to say. He was desperate to see her smile, desperate to have his sweet, loving Ali back. He'd do anything but she hadn't even moved.

Jasper ran his hands through his hair, panic on his face. She put her face in her hands and just stood there sobbing. He couldn't seem to think of one thing to do or say that would make her happy again.

"Ali. Is there any chance?" he moved toward her, drinking her in. Even crying and obviously exhausted, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He'd be happy to just stand here and look at her for the rest of his life. When she still hadn't moved as he approached her, he dared to pull her into his arms. She melted into his chest and he closed his eyes in pleasure. She felt so good, so right in his arms. He lifted her against his chest and took her over to the chair he'd just vacated. Sitting with her still pressed against his aching heart, he absorbed her sobs as his own eyes filled with tears. His heart was breaking over the pain he'd caused her. He nuzzled his face in her hair and rocked her soothingly. After what seemed like an eternity, her sobs finally ceased and she lay silent in his arms.

"Darlin'?" he said softly, stroking her back gently. "Do you feel like... talking to me?" At her slight nod, he smiled. Kissing the top of her head where it lay snuggled under his chin, he continued where he'd left off. "I've missed you so much. I'm so very sorry I caused you so much pain. I don't know why I didn't believe in you. I'm a fool. A stupid, selfish fool." He paused when he heard her whisper something into his chest. Inclining his head, he asked her to repeat it.

"I said, you're an ass." she muttered against the hard planes of his chest. He chuckled warmly and grinned.

"Yes, an ass is a better word, it's true." He smiled lovingly at her when she finally raised her head to look up at him. His heart broke all over again when he truly saw the state she was in. He smoothed his fingers over her cheek.

"Awwww, my sweet darlin'. I'm so sorry." she gave him a watery smile as he looked longingly into her gaunt little face. "Can you ever forgive me? I promise I will never doubt you again."

He watched as her expression changed again and his gut hollowed out. "What about... Maria?" she asked in a throaty whisper. His sorrow was overwhelming and he hated himself for putting her through this.

He shook his head, his whole body sagging under the weight of his deceit. "I can't change what I did." he told her, trying to be as honest as possible. "I hadn't even planned to see her at Thanksgiving, except to tell her it was over. I should've told you about her. I didn't even... think. Once I met you, she barely crossed my mind. I only talked to her once the whole time I was at school, but I couldn't bring myself to break it off over the phone. After Emmett told me... about your... plan, I just wanted to feel something... real." he groaned as she pulled slightly away from him. He hung his head in shame. "She was willing but I used her. In the end, she'd used me, too, but I didn't know it until... after. I wasn't fair to... either of you."

Jasper sighed in disappointment when Alice slipped from his lap. He felt cold and alone, his heart shriveling inside him. Well, he'd tried. He couldn't blame her for despising him now. He'd leave her in peace, he'd just needed to see her one last time and try to get her to see how much he still loved her. Running his hand through his already tousled hair, he looked up at her and his heart stopped.

Alice looked down at the boy she loved with her whole heart. The last month had been the most horrible time of her life, but she'd gotten through it. He'd come to her to try to make amends and she loved him too much to just let him fade away. If they could make something of their love, then she would give him that chance. They were young and would make a lot of mistakes but, hopefully, it would be worth it in the long run. Holding out her hand to him, she gave him a soft smile, her love for him shining from her eyes. His breath caught and he sent a thank you heavenward for the blessing of his sweet Ali. From now on, where ever she was, that would be his home.

Alice woke the next morning with Jasper warm in her bed. She watched his face as he slept peacefully beside her. They hadn't had sex, their emotions had still been too fragile. They'd just held each other, talking though the long, magical night, giving thanks for another chance at bliss.

Alice smiled when she noticed two beautiful, green eyes twinkling down at her.

"Good morning, sweetheart." he leaned over to give her a tender kiss and she sighed happily, content and serene. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Jas." she stroked his face gently, their love for each other shining in their eyes. She knew it was going to the best Christmas she'd ever had.

~the End~


End file.
